Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer almost always caused by exposure to asbestos in one way or another. Normally the cancer will form on the exterior protective lining of the lungs or along the chest cavity. In some cases it may form around the exterior of the heart.
How Was Asbestos Used?
Asbestos is a super fine mineral that typically was spun and tightly woven and used in products that required protection from heat. Literally millions of Americans were exposed to it. Asbestos insulation was a common form of its use up through the 1960s. Popcorn ceilings, very popular in the early 60’s as a way to give texture to a ceiling, also contained asbestos. Household products like oven mittens were and heating pads were in nearly every home and all contained asbestos.
Today of course the use of asbestos is considered a hazardous and tightly controlled. An entire industry sprang up specializing in the removal of the substance from buildings and homes.
Asbestos in its intended form is not harmful. It becomes dangerous when it is disturbed resulting in fine fibres that can be inhaled and ingested into the lungs. There have even been reports of spouses who washed the clothes of a husband who worked around asbestos of contracting the disease from loose fibres on the clothes.
Symptoms of Mesothelioma
A major problem with this cancer is that it can literally take a couple of decades before it is identified and treated. Symptoms are common to other respiratory ailments in the beginning. Having a shortness of breath, chest pain, difficulty breathing, and fatigue and wheezing or coughing. In severe cases the patient may experience a collapsed lung or the cancer may metastasize to other organs in the body.
While normally associated with the lungs and chest cavity, Mesothelioma can also appear in the abdomen. Unfortunately this form of the cancer does not exhibit symptoms until late stage. These symptoms include abdominal pain, weight loss, bloating and difficulty with bowel functions.
How Was Asbestos Used?
Asbestos is a super fine mineral that typically was spun and tightly woven and used in products that required protection from heat. Literally millions of Americans were exposed to it. Asbestos insulation was a common form of its use up through the 1960s. Popcorn ceilings, very popular in the early 60’s as a way to give texture to a ceiling, also contained asbestos. Household products like oven mittens were and heating pads were in nearly every home and all contained asbestos.
Today of course the use of asbestos is considered a hazardous and tightly controlled. An entire industry sprang up specializing in the removal of the substance from buildings and homes.
Asbestos in its intended form is not harmful. It becomes dangerous when it is disturbed resulting in fine fibres that can be inhaled and ingested into the lungs. There have even been reports of spouses who washed the clothes of a husband who worked around asbestos of contracting the disease from loose fibres on the clothes.
Symptoms of Mesothelioma
A major problem with this cancer is that it can literally take a couple of decades before it is identified and treated. Symptoms are common to other respiratory ailments in the beginning. Having a shortness of breath, chest pain, difficulty breathing, and fatigue and wheezing or coughing. In severe cases the patient may experience a collapsed lung or the cancer may metastasize to other organs in the body.
While normally associated with the lungs and chest cavity, Mesothelioma can also appear in the abdomen. Unfortunately this form of the cancer does not exhibit symptoms until late stage. These symptoms include abdominal pain, weight loss, bloating and difficulty with bowel functions.
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