The scientific journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine recently published a report concerning the contraction of mesothelioma, a rare but aggressive form of cancer that can be caused by asbestos products, following a long period of research which was conducted by four separate medical institutions. The report collected data about the health of miners who had worked in the Balangero mine, formerly the largest open pit asbestos mine in Europe, in an attempt to better understand the long term implications of workplace asbestos exposure.
Mesothelioma is known for its long latency period, that is, the time that it takes from an initial exposure to asbestos until the disease becomes detectable. In many cases mesothelioma’s latency period can exceed several decades, which greatly lends to the obscurity surrounding its correct diagnosis and the difficulty of its early detection.
Asbestos contamination occurs most frequently through the inhalation or ingestion of the microscopic, needle like asbestos fibers. The fibers are small enough to pass easily through the body’s normal defenses against foreign particles. After passing through either the lung, stomach or intestinal walls, the fibers become lodged in the protective tissue around our organs known as the mesothelium. This process causes scarring of the mesothelium, which, after years or even decades, can lead to the development of malignant tumors. Mesothelioma is incurable and fatal; mesothelioma patients rarely live eighteen months beyond diagnosis.
Asbestos products were used liberally throughout the twentieth century in a variety of commercial and industrial applications. The substance’s incredible heat resisting and insulating properties as well as its ability to be fabricated into materials of just about every shape, density and texture made it popular as a fire retardant, building raw material, pipe insulator and much more. Restrictions and regulations concerning the use of asbestos began to appear in developed nations during the latter half of the twentieth century as its hazards to human health became more widely known and accepted. Today asbestos production and use is either illegal or strictly regulated in the vast majority of developed nations.
The study published in Occupational and Environmental Medicine concluded that there was a higher than average death rate among the former Balangero miners, from both mesothelioma of the lungs and chest cavity. Every case of mesothelioma noted occurred 30 years or more after the patient’s original exposure to asbestos.
While asbestos regulations are helping to reduce the rate of mesothelioma contraction in the United States, the European Union, and other developed areas of the world, exposure to the dangerous substance continues to be a threat in developing nations.
