FACTS ABOUT ASBESTOS AND MESOTHELIOMA

FACTS ABOUT ASBESTOS AND MESOTHELIOMA

Asbestos has been used since ancient times. Greeks and Romans wove the fibers into tablecloths, napkins, and clothes, and threw them into fires to clean them. They also noted the slaves forced to deal with this material lived shorter lives and usually died of breathing or respiratory problems.

Asbestos was used extensively in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as modern industry drove the economies of Western Europe and the United States.

During the Second World War, hundreds of thousands of military personnel were exposed to asbestos on a large scale. Many of these servicepeople are now beginning to demonstrate symptoms of asbestos-related diseases.
Many asbestos companies knew the dangers of their products, but chose to ignore or downplay the role asbestos played in many illnesses.

The first reported death caused by asbestos exposure was documented in medical journals in 1924.

Over 10,000 people worldwide are diagnosed with mesothelioma or other asbestos-related conditions each year, 3,000 in the US alone.

It is estimated that over 110,000 schools in the United States still contain some form of asbestos.

Even though cigarette smoking does not cause mesothelioma, victims exposed asbestos who smoke suffer a 50-90% increase in the likelihood of developing lung cancers.

Asbestos has been banned or regulated in many industrialized countries around the world.

Post-diagnosis survival of mesothelioma is measured in months, because by the time the cancer is detected it is too advanced for treatment.

Because of the long dormancy of mesothelioma, experts speculate that there will be an increase of cases for the next 20 to 30 years.

LEARN MORE -FACTS ABOUT ASBESTOS AND MESOTHELIOMA