What is Mesothelioma?

What is Mesothelioma?

According to Mesothelioma & Asbestos Awareness Center Mesothelioma is a malignant mesothelioma, also known as mesothelioma cancer. This is a fatal cancer that affects the lining of the lung and the lining of the abdominal cavity and the lining of the heart. The most common form of mesothelioma is pleural mesothelioma. The main cause of mesothelioma is the exposure to asbestos, although other factors such as smoking may result in additional complications.

The treatment options are critical when a mesothelioma diagnosis occurs. This type of cancer is in most cases diagnosed when cancer is in an advanced stage. There are new drug treatments used called Alimta. This drug is the only one used and approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It is one of the most important drugs used to fight this type of lung cancer. But the there is not much hope for cure and the drug only helps to provide the patients a better quality of life with less pain. You can read more clicking this link

What really makes me sad is the fact despite of the known danger of asbestos and products that contain asbestos why there are only a few countries who started to prohibit the process of this material many years back and only one like Brazil started on 4th of June 2008 to prohibit the use of any product which utilizes asbestos but only in Sao Paulo State and not in the whole country. In many other countries nobody talks about the danger of products that contain asbestos.

What is Asbestos and why is it used besides the danger?

Asbestos is according to Wikipedia a group of minerals with long, thin fibrous crystals.
The word "asbestos" is derived from the Greek language and means inextinguishable. The Greeks termed asbestos the "miracle mineral" because of its soft and pliant properties, as well as its ability to withstand heat. Asbestos was very popular in the late 19th century due to its resistance to heat, electricity and chemical damage and its sound absorption and tensile strength. It was also used in brake shoes and gaskets for its heat resistance.

Asbestos has a long history and was used by the ancient Greeks who in that time recognized the hazards of the material. They noted that the material damaged lungs of slaves who wove it into cloth. But asbestos became more widespread during the industrial revolution; in the 1860s it was used as insulation in the U.S. and Canada.

According statistics thousands of people have died and still will die because of working with asbestos. This "miracle material" is now known to be highly toxic. The inhalation of asbestos fibers can cause serious illnesses including mesothelioma and asbestosis. Starting from the mid 1980s many uses of asbestos have been banned in many countries.