What you Need to Know

• Disease Types & Treatments

  Mesothelioma is a cancer of the lining of various organs. This particular cancer arises most often in the lungs and abdomen but can also occur in the heart or testicles.

  Mesothelioma is broken down further into three subtypes based on the kind of cancer cells found in the body. Epithelioid mesothelioma is the most common type and is understood to be slower growing and more receptive to treatment. Sarcomatoid mesotheliomas are less common and are considered faster growing. Biphasic mesothelioma shows both epitheliod and sarcomatoid cell types.

  Depending on the underlying health of the patient, surgery to remove the cancerous organ lining may be an option. Specific chemotherapy treatments and radiation may also be used to shrink the cancer. New therapies are emerging based on various genetic testing many patients now undergo.

  Lung cancer is a cancer of the lung, rather than the lining. Although smoking remains the most common cause of lung cancer in the United States, asbestos exposure can cause lung cancer and there is a synergistic effect of asbestos exposure and smoking together, greatly increasing an exposed person’s risk of developing cancer.

  Depending on the underlying health of the patient, surgery to remove the lung or certain lobes may be an option. Specific chemotherapy treatments and radiation may also be used to shrink the cancer. New therapies are emerging based on various genetic testing many patients now undergo.
  
  Asbestosis is a noncancerous lung disease that causes scarring of the lungs. This scarring, caused by asbestos exposure, makes it difficult to breathe as it restricts lung function. Thankfully, asbestosis is usually a chronic, nonfatal disease. Patients may be given inhalers or other breathing treatments to manage symptoms. Some patients may require supplemental oxygen.

• What is Asbestos & How Are People Exposed

  

  Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that is mined from the ground in countries around the world. It was once widely used in industrial products including insulation, pipe coverings, and equipment coverings, equipment gaskets and packing, construction materials including sheetrock mud, shingles, and flooring, and automotive products such as brakes, clutches, and gaskets. It was also used in other lesser known environments such as for making dental molds and in fire retardant clothing.

  It has recently been discovered that asbestos is still being used in talc products. This includes both industrial talc and cosmetic/personal care products such as baby powder and cosmetics.

  Millions of people have been exposed to asbestos in the workplace, including miners, factory workers, insulation manufacturers and installers, railroad and automotive workers, ship builders, plumbers, and construction workers. Although the amount of asbestos used in the trades reached its peak in the 1970s, it took decades for asbestos to removed from these products entirely.

  Family members of people who work in environments where they are exposed to asbestos can also be at risk for “take home exposure” also known as secondary exposure because asbestos can be carried home on workers’ clothes. Merely shaking out and washing the work clothes of an exposed person can cause significant exposure to asbestos.

  Additionally, men and women who used various brands of cosmetic talc products such as baby powder have been exposed to asbestos in their own bathrooms. Even using baby powder to diaper one’s children can be a significant exposure to asbestos.
  
  
  

• Military Veterans & Shipyards

  Military veterans are diagnosed with mesothelioma at alarming rates. About one-third of the cases of mesothelioma diagnosed each year in the United States is a service member.

  Although asbestos was used in various ways throughout the branches of the military, it was used most heavily in the Navy. The fire resistant properties of asbestos made it useful for boiler rooms and engine rooms in Naval ships. The companies who supplied asbestos to the military didn’t warn anyone that its use could cause such devastating injuries.

  The same  materials were used by civilian personnel building and repairing ships in shipyards throughout the country, exposing countless additional workers to asbestos on Naval ships.
  
  

• What Did the Asbestos Companies Know?

  More than 100 years ago, asbestos exposure was linked to serious lung illnesses and by the mid 1900s, it was known without a doubt that asbestos exposure causes mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis. This fact even appeared in major market newspapers covering stories of medial conferences aiming to make worker health a priority.

  Even today, decades after the dangers of asbestos had become widely known, some companies continue to cover up evidence that their products and workplaces were toxic to workers and their families. And this cover up continues today. Companies purchase doubt science experts to claim their products cannot cause cancer. They also push lobbying efforts to make it harder for asbestos victims and their families to be compensated.