Mesothelioma and Asbestos Information

Mesothelioma Cancer and asbestos are subjects that were back in the news this week as a Mesothelioma summit was held at the British Medical Association in London on the 9th March to bring together the various interested organisations. In a bid to pool expertise in the area, and to try to draw up some kind of action plan for how coverage of the disease can be highlighted.

Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer in which malignant (cancerous) cells are found in the mesothelium, a protective sac that covers most of the body's internal organs. Most people who develop mesothelioma cancer have worked on jobs where they inhaled asbestos particles. A history of asbestos exposure at work is reported in about 70 percent to 80 percent of all cases. However, mesothelioma has been reported in some individuals without any known exposure to asbestos.

Asbestos is the name of a group of minerals that occur naturally as masses of strong, flexible fibers that can be separated into thin threads and woven. They are also highly heat resistant. Because of these characteristics, asbestos has been used for a wide range of manufactured goods, mostly in building materials (roofing shingles, ceiling and floor tiles, paper products, and asbestos cement products), friction products (automobile clutch, brake, and transmission parts), heat-resistant fabrics, packaging, gaskets, and coatings. Because of their durability once the fibers get into lung tissue they will remain for long periods of time.

Mesothelioma cancer is a highly controversial subject and if you do a search on google for mesothelioma lawyers, you will see that there is a whole hornets nest of activity that surrounds it. Not least because the legal cases that the cancer engenders can literally be worth millions in compensation payments. UK insurers, which have already paid around £1.5 billion in UK-based claims for asbestos-related diseases, face £4bn to £10bn in costs from asbestos claims over the next three decades, the UK’s actuarial profession said last year. And the costs in the US are much greater because of the typically higher damage payments.

Malignant mesothelioma

And yet if you get beyond the legalities and lawyers scenting fat fees; mesothelioma is a cancer that demands attention in its own right.