The risk of mesothelioma increases with age. Mesothelioma can occur in young people (including children), but it is rare in people younger than 45 years. About 2 out of 3 people with breast mesothelioma are 65 years of age or older. Mesothelioma is caused by exposure to asbestos. When asbestos fibers are inhaled or ingested, they cause scarring and inflammation, which can develop into a mesothelioma tumor.
Research has shown that 80% of all cases of mesothelioma are caused by known exposure to asbestos. There are no other proven causes of mesothelioma. Researchers continue to investigate other possible causes and risk factors, such as exposure to the SV40 virus or minerals that look like asbestos. Mesothelioma was practically unknown until the 20th century.
Mesothelioma incidence rates increased as industries expanded the use of. The only proven cause of mesothelioma is exposure to asbestos. Most risk factors for mesothelioma involve different sources of exposure to. Other risk factors, such as the genes you inherit or exposure to the simian virus 40, known as SV40, have not been shown to cause mesothelioma.
Other potential risk factors that remain unproven causes of mesothelioma include genetic factors and exposure to radiation, zeolite minerals, and the polio vaccine between 1955 and 1963 that was contaminated with simian virus 40 (SV40). Asbestos fibers take an average of 20 to 50 years to convert normal mesothelial cells into mesothelioma cancer cells. This time lag between exposure and the development of the disease is known as the latency period. Asbestos fibers take decades to cause damage that leads to mesothelioma, but once mesothelial cells become cancerous, they can quickly form mesothelioma tumors that grow and spread within months to a few years.
According to the American Cancer Society, 80% of mesothelioma cases are caused by known exposure to asbestos. Studies have shown that radiation treatment for other types of cancer or certain genetic markers may increase the risk of developing mesothelioma. However, asbestos is still the only proven cause of the disease. If you are looking for support for mesothelioma, contact our patient advocates at (85) 404-4592. Although some people with mesothelioma have no known risk factors, many people who develop mesothelioma have been exposed to asbestos.
Therefore, it is important to always wear protective equipment and follow safety precautions when working with asbestos. Most mesotheliomas are thought to be related to asbestos exposure. Asbestos is a mineral found naturally in the environment. Asbestos fibers are strong and heat resistant, making them useful in a wide variety of applications, such as insulation, brakes, shingles, flooring and many other products.
When asbestos breaks, such as during the extraction process or when removing asbestos insulation, dust can be created. If dust is inhaled or swallowed, asbestos fibers will settle in the lungs or stomach, where they can cause irritation that can lead to mesothelioma. It is not understood exactly how this happens. It may take 20 to 60 years or longer for mesothelioma to develop after exposure to asbestos.
Most people exposed to asbestos never develop mesothelioma. This indicates that other factors may be involved in determining if a person has mesothelioma. For example, you could inherit a predisposition to cancer or some other condition could increase your risk. Ask your employer if you are at risk of exposure to asbestos at work.
Follow all safety precautions in your workplace, such as wearing protective equipment. You may also be asked to take a shower and change your work clothes before taking a lunch break or going home. Talk to your doctor about other precautions you can take to protect yourself from exposure to asbestos. The EPA concluded that exposure to asbestos of some vermiculite products represents only a minimal health risk.
There is a dose-response relationship between asbestos and the development of mesothelioma, which means that the risk of getting cancer increases with each exposure. Although pleural plaques are not precursors of lung cancer, evidence suggests that people with pleural disease caused by exposure to asbestos may be at increased risk of lung cancer (2,. Introduction The risk of malignant mesothelioma (MM) increases proportionally to cumulative exposure and to the third or fourth time potency since the first exposure to asbestos. While all forms of asbestos are considered hazardous, different types of asbestos fibers may be associated with different health risks.
For example, the results of several studies suggest that amphibular forms of asbestos may be more harmful than chrysotile, particularly because of the risk of mesothelioma, because they tend to stay in the lungs for a longer period of time (1,. Because the combination of cigarette smoking and exposure to asbestos greatly increases the risk of developing lung cancer, smoking is often confused as a risk factor for mesothelioma. For example, working in the construction industry is a risk factor, but not everyone in the industry ends up with mesothelioma. Smoking alone or in combination with exposure to asbestos does not increase the risk of developing mesothelioma.
Those who served in the Navy faced the greatest risk of exposure because asbestos was used to prevent fires in shipyards and boats. More than 125 million people worldwide are currently at risk of exposure to asbestos in the workplace, says World Health Organization. There is limited evidence that exposure to asbestos is linked to an increased risk of stomach, pharyngeal and colorectal cancer (. About 1% of people with mesothelioma have inherited mesothelioma, which means that the risk of developing the disease was transmitted from parent to child within the family.
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