Asbestos Illnesses - The Health Battles Victims Face

Written by Tim Nash

The Cyclone Files

A health problem that comes from exposure to asbestos is not a trivial thing.  There are less than a dozen serious health problems that have been linked directly to asbestos exposure early in life and all of them are serious, life threatening problems.  Without a doubt, the most common asbestos related illness is Mesothelioma, which is a lung cancer that surfaces years, sometimes decades after the exposure to asbestos.  In most cases, the incidence of Mesothelioma goes undiagnosed in the patient which means that by the time doctors realize the patient has this serious cancer, treatment is much more difficult and not very effective. The outcome is that Mesothelioma does not have a very high survival rate.

 

Unlike other cancers, Mesothelioma can surprise an otherwise healthy man or woman.  When a person has a serious smoking problem, they are more aware of the cancer risk and can take action when it comes up in their lives.  But asbestos exposure often goes undetected because the victims simply did not know they were being exposed when the problem occurred.  This is the most tragic aspect of asbestos illness.  Asbestos was used so commonly 2-3 decades ago that many families were raised in homes that had asbestos insulation in the walls and attic.  Schools, offices and other public buildings often used this kind of insulation because it was a standard insulation material.

With asbestos present in the structure of public buildings and homes, the tiny asbestos fibers could get into the air and be ingested into the lungs of otherwise healthy people.  It happens quietly, without warning and without notice.  The cancers that can come from asbestos fibers in the lungs take years to manifest themselves.  The sufferers may be healthy in every other way so they have no reason to suspect that they are already infected with a foreign substance, asbestos, that very often results in a dread and deadly disease.

The first level of awareness that all of us should think about is that Mesothelioma and other asbestos disease most often surface in older people.  A campaign to rid buildings of asbestos which began about 15 years ago has reduced the risk to younger people.  So if there is any chance you or a family member might have been exposed to asbestos earlier in life, its best to seek medical advice and alert your doctor to help you watch for any incidence of asbestos related diseases.  

Your doctor can conduct some tests to determine if there are asbestos fibers in the membranes of your lungs.  If the presence of asbestos in your system can be detected early, the chances that treatment can be prescribed to correct the problem before it becomes deadly are greatly increased.  This means that none of us should take it for granted that we were not exposed to asbestos at any point in life because you will find that the medical experts charged with caring for your health will take the potential of Mesothelioma or other asbestos health problems very seriously indeed.