Can Asbestos Exposure in Schools Lead to Mesothelioma?

Many Americans know that exposure to asbestos causes mesothelioma cancer. Asbestos is a substance that was commonly used in building materials in the last century. This is why when this lung cancer is mentioned, those that worked in the construction and production industries are thought of as the victims. This being the case: Can asbestos exposure in schools lead to Mesothelioma cancer?

Medical professional have documented that many of victims of Mesothelioma cancer are students and teachers that were exposed to asbestos on their campuses. Students and teachers did not know about the present of the substance and its deadly affects. The companies knew of the harmful effects of these materials however, they preferred the use them over other less harmful materials. Administrator did not mind the use of asbestos because of the cost of the materials and it fireproof qualities. It just made good sense.

American campuses had many types of asbestos products and student, teachers, and staff was not aware that even short-term exposure to asbestos could mean dealing with Mesothelioma cancer in the future. They were not only exposed during construction but also during repair and even during removal of the hazardous substance.

Teachers and students also unwittingly exposed others like parents, siblings and spouses. Even limited exposure to the substance increased the chance of a person developing mesothelioma in later years sometimes 30 to 40 years after exposure. The percentage of probability increases with the length of asbestos exposure.

When people inhale asbestos fibers into their lungs it clings to the thin lining of the lungs called the mesothelium. Then tumors develop around the fibers and sometimes in other parts of the body. When these tumors grow large enough, they cause the Mesothelioma cancer victim pain, discomfort and other symptoms.

The majority of the time Mesothelioma cancer is not found until the infection is too significant to be treated. Often treatment of mesothelioma is just for the comfort of the victim. These patients rarely survive more than a year or two. To date there is no effective treatment for this deadly form of cancer.

So, asbestos exposure on school and campuses can lead to Mesothelioma cancer in the future. Because of this, it is important for those who believe they have been exposed to asbestos on the countries campuses to be screened regularly even if they are not displaying symptoms. It is also vital that they contact an experienced Mesothelioma lawyer to see if they are due any compensation. Screening and treatment of this cancer is very costly.

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Asbestos exposure in pre-school

Australia continues to face rising mesothelioma cases as past asbestos use is now taking its toll. A Queensland woman wishing to remain unnamed has been diagnosed with mesothelioma decades after her exposure to asbestos in a State pre-school.

Shailer Park State Pre-school was in prime condition in the early 1980’s. However after a quick double in class size administrators moved forward with an expansion of the facility. Regular classes were kept while construction was done. It is during this time that the unnamed woman, working as a pre-school teacher’s aid, was exposed to asbestos fibers.

Asbestos is known to cause several severe respiratory conditions including lung cancer, asbestosis, and the rare cancer mesothelioma from which this lady is now suffering. Mesothelioma begins when asbestos fibers are inhaled. Once in the lungs, they can start a mutation in cells of lung lining and lining of other abdominal cavities. Mesothelioma is characterized by irregularly patterned tumors which remain latent for years, most often twenty to fifty years. When symptoms are demonstrated mesothelioma can be easily mistaken for pneumonia or other treatable respiratory conditions.

There are mesothelioma treatments available which include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy and palliative care. Palliative care focuses on pain management and quality of life without directly fighting the cancer. Life expectancy of mesothelioma patients following diagnosis averages eighteen months.

A worker’s comp claim was filed on behalf of those present and involved in Shailer Park State Pre-school construction. Hoping for additional evidence in the event of a class action lawsuit, the firm on the case asked people involved to register with their online database.  Trent Johnson, associate at Maurice Blackurn Lawyers said additional evidence would make future claims go smoother. He said, “Education facilities in Shailer Park were at a premium in the early 1980s and just a year after the original preschool was built, it needed to double its size to meet demand. Normal classes were conducted while the preschool extensions were under construction and everyone who was at the site during the building works in early to mid-1983 would have been exposed to the asbestos dust. Not everyone who’s exposed to asbestos will come down with an illness … but if we had a large number of people suffering from asbestos-related illnesses, anything is possible.”

Although the unnamed lady was a part of this worker’s comp claim, she is considering filing against Queensland’s government directly for past and future damages.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 22nd, 2010 at 6:44 AM and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

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Family faces flood damage, vandalism and asbestos exposure

An Australian woman has suffered vandalism following destruction in her home due to a flood. Kristen Brereton and her two young sons Lincoln and Blake are staying with relatives while their home undergoes repairs after flood damage. Before the insurance company could make final decisions on compensation amounts to complete the work, the house was vandalized.

Brereton’s home was broken into. Ceilings and walls had been beaten and torn apart with hammers and boots. Several boot prints were found on the premises. The police were called in to investigate.

Such press caught the attention of Workplace Heath and Safety (WHS) inspectors. Possible asbestos exposure had become a concern. WHO inspectors took six samples from Brereton’s home for testing. Results were positive—asbestos fibers were present in the home. Not only would the vandal’s damage have to be repaired, but asbestos abatement specialists would need to do the work.

Ms. Brereton said, “Everything is on hold for us at the moment. These vermin who broke into my house and smashed the walls – this is all because of them.” Her move home is postponed while additional insurance details are worked out and the asbestos threats can be cleared.

Asbestos fibers can cause severe respiratory conditions including the rare cancer mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is begun by a mutation in the lung lining cells started by asbestos fibers that have been inhaled. This mutation grows into an irregularly patterned system of malignant tumors.

Mesothelioma typically takes decades to develop after initial asbestos exposure. Patients who have no idea they were exposed to asbestos may never know to be checked for mesothelioma. Diagnosis can be difficult even when symptoms do occur as the coughing and wheezing associated with mesothelioma is often misdiagnosed as bronchitis or pneumonia.

Australia as well as the UK and US have growing asbestos awareness campaigns and initiatives as decades of past asbestos use now peaks in mesothelioma cases. Fifteen to twenty thousand mesothelioma cases are estimated annually worldwide. The World Health Organization expects that number to quickly reach ninety thousand if asbestos use patterns are not drastically minimized.

Ms. Brereton is anxious to get her family back home. She said “Our insurer told us they are about four weeks behind, but seeing as though we have an urgent health issue at the house now, that they might try to get to us a bit sooner.” She continued, “In the end it will be okay I suppose – as long as the insurance comes through.”

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 1st, 2011 at 6:48 AM and is filed under General, News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

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Possible asbestos exposure this Christmas

The US government is getting a bad rap after no response to parties concerned with Zonolite brand insulation. Zonilite brand was popular in the 1950’s and is still present in an estimated thirty-seven million buildings and homes across America. The product was made with naturally occurring vermiculite, which normally would be no cause for alarm. However, after high numbers of asbestos related illnesses became associated with Zonolite brand insulated homes, an investigation was done by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Vermiculite used in Zonolite brand insulation came from one particular mine. This mine also held strands of asbestos, which tainted the vermiculite now present in millions of US attics.

Although the US government is aware of the potential damage possible by this insulation, there seems to be no official government response to the situation. This is additionally concerning to Joel Shufro, executive director for the New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health. He said, “Given the tremendous government-funded winterization programs, we can expect exposure to workers to increase as they disturb the old asbestos-carrying insulations. Failure of the government to inform workers and others who may be exposed to this hazard is incorrigible. This is a well-known, aggressive carcinogen and unless people know about it, it’s a prescription for death.” Shufro adds, “I am amazed and appalled that nothing has happened.”

Dr. Aubrey Miller was the medical director for the EPA’s investigation team responding to asbestos related illnesses associated with the mine. Asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma cases were abnormally high. “Based on my experience, and my understanding of the residential and worker exposures to the asbestos in this insulation, I believe firmly that individuals are being sickened and even dying from these exposures across the country on a continuing basis,” he said.

Dr. Miller is concerned for homeowners who will come in contact with toxic dust from their tainted attic insulation this Christmas season. Christmas ornaments and decorations typically stored in attic spaces will be brought down into the home potentially covered with asbestos fibers.  He said, “It’s particularly important to understand the risks for children who have higher breathing rates and will inhale more of the fibers.” He continues, “Children, especially young ones, tend to spend much of their time on the floor playing with the ornaments and toys, breathing the asbestos-contaminated dust, and have many years for the asbestos fibers that lodge in their lungs to eventually cause disease.”

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 30th, 2010 at 6:45 AM and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

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More Women Dying from Mesothelioma Despite “Low Level” Exposure

New reports out of the UK are noticing a disturbing new trend among patients who are falling ill and dying from malignant mesothelioma: more and more of them are women.

A recent report in the Daily Mirror’s ongoing “Asbestos Timebomb” campaign revealed that new figures being released about fatality rates connected with mesothelioma have shown an increase in the number of women being affected by the deadly cancer.

According to data released by the UK’s Health and Safety Executive, mesothelioma was mentioned as the cause of death for 384 women and 1,865 men in 2008. In 2007, 347 women and 1,826 men were killed by the deadly cancer. In 2005, 289 women and 1,759 men perished.

Because a majority of professions where workers were regularly exposed to asbestos were predominantly held by men during most of the 20th Century, mesothelioma has always been seen among men in much larger numbers than women. Some experts believe the sudden rise in female mesothelioma cases can be tied to female teachers who worked at a number of UK school built in the 1960s and 1970s that contained asbestos and caused “low level” exposure to the fibers.

However, a potentially more worrisome theory that has also been considered is that low level exposure to asbestos – such as exposure a wife would receive from asbestos particles brought into her home that were not properly cleaned off her husband’s work clothes – may also be more dangerous than previously thought.

“We don’t know why the incidence in women is rising. We need further research to determine the risk of low level exposure to asbestos,” John Edwards, a consulting surgeon, told the Mirror. “The increase in males is more steady and the fact that the ratio has changed suggests that the pattern of exposure has changed.”

Further demonstrating the rising number of women being affected by mesothelioma, the Mirror also found data from Cancer Research UK that showed the womens’ death rate from mesothelioma had increased by 57 percent between 1997 and 2007. Comparatively, malignant melanoma death rates increased by 49 percent, uterine cancer by 33 percent, and kidney cancer by 23 over the same time frame.

While the information used by the Mirror is based in the UK, it should nonetheless lead to some discussion regarding a potential rise in mesothelioma rates among women stateside as well.

If you or a loved one are suffering from mesothelioma and undergoing treatment, you may be able to pursue a mesothelioma settlement if a source of asbestos exposure can be found. Contact an asbestos attorney if you would like to pursue a lawsuit against a company or former employer.

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