Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that is 99% attributable to a person's having been exposed to asbestos. It could be that you had a job years ago in which you were exposed but won't begin to show symptoms until 20 to 50 years later. Occasionally a case will be diagnosed in less than 20 years, but that isn't the norm. You may not even realize you were exposed to asbestos, and the initial symptoms can be as general as chest or back pain. Anyone who was working prior to the mid 1970s needs to explore the possibility that he or she could have been exposed to asbestos. If this is the case for you, then you'll need to watch out for the development of lung cancer for the rest of your life.
Mesothelioma causes cancer to develop in the lining that surrounds the lungs as well as inside the ribcage and around abdominal organs. The longer a person was exposed to asbestos, the better the chance that he or she will develop Mesothelioma somewhere down the line. However, there have also been cases diagnosed that were caused by limited asbestos exposure and even household exposure. It may be that you had a summer job in construction years ago. You could have been exposed then. A lot of people who were in the Navy prior to the '70s have come down with Mesothelioma, too.
Prior to the 1970s asbestos was widely-used in many different applications. Once the reports of the health risks involved in its use started to be made public, this use of asbestos was curtailed. Before that time, however, almost every type of insulation contained asbestos, such as that used to insulate pipes, do fire-proofing, and in boilers. Types of plasters, cements, and joint compounds that came in powdered form and were intended to insulate were also full of asbestos. Since the powders caused a lot of dust, employees who breathed the air while using them were particularly vulnerable to asbestos exposure.
If you worked in the following fields prior to the mid 1970s, you may have been exposed to asbestos: * Insulation * Steel refineries and other industries that used steel * Shipyard workers * Building trades such as electrical, carpentry, or bricklaying jobs * Maintenance workers * Boilermakers * People who fabricated brakes and clutches * Paper mills
If you did work in one of these industries, there's still no cause for undue alarm. You do need to let your doctor know, however, that you have a history that could include exposure to asbestos. It's possible he may want you to undergo some testing in order to know for sure. He'll most likely want to conduct a complete physical, have chest and abdominal x-rays taken, require additional pulmonary function tests, or schedule you for a CT scan or an MRI. If all of this testing shows no evidence of Mesothelioma, you'll be able to breathe easy for awhile, but you'll always need to keep on top of the fact that you could develop the disease sometime in the future.
If you should happen to be diagnosed with Mesothelioma sometime in the future, you'll want to hire a lawyer who specializes in this type of litigation to file a claim against your employer. You may be eligible for restitution if it can be proven that your employer was in any way negligent in providing you with information or safety equipment that could have prevented your illness.
Mesothelioma causes cancer to develop in the lining that surrounds the lungs as well as inside the ribcage and around abdominal organs. The longer a person was exposed to asbestos, the better the chance that he or she will develop Mesothelioma somewhere down the line. However, there have also been cases diagnosed that were caused by limited asbestos exposure and even household exposure. It may be that you had a summer job in construction years ago. You could have been exposed then. A lot of people who were in the Navy prior to the '70s have come down with Mesothelioma, too.
Prior to the 1970s asbestos was widely-used in many different applications. Once the reports of the health risks involved in its use started to be made public, this use of asbestos was curtailed. Before that time, however, almost every type of insulation contained asbestos, such as that used to insulate pipes, do fire-proofing, and in boilers. Types of plasters, cements, and joint compounds that came in powdered form and were intended to insulate were also full of asbestos. Since the powders caused a lot of dust, employees who breathed the air while using them were particularly vulnerable to asbestos exposure.
If you worked in the following fields prior to the mid 1970s, you may have been exposed to asbestos: * Insulation * Steel refineries and other industries that used steel * Shipyard workers * Building trades such as electrical, carpentry, or bricklaying jobs * Maintenance workers * Boilermakers * People who fabricated brakes and clutches * Paper mills
If you did work in one of these industries, there's still no cause for undue alarm. You do need to let your doctor know, however, that you have a history that could include exposure to asbestos. It's possible he may want you to undergo some testing in order to know for sure. He'll most likely want to conduct a complete physical, have chest and abdominal x-rays taken, require additional pulmonary function tests, or schedule you for a CT scan or an MRI. If all of this testing shows no evidence of Mesothelioma, you'll be able to breathe easy for awhile, but you'll always need to keep on top of the fact that you could develop the disease sometime in the future.
If you should happen to be diagnosed with Mesothelioma sometime in the future, you'll want to hire a lawyer who specializes in this type of litigation to file a claim against your employer. You may be eligible for restitution if it can be proven that your employer was in any way negligent in providing you with information or safety equipment that could have prevented your illness.
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