Asbestos miners in India demand results of recent study

On January 4, in Ahmedabad, India, thirty members of Rajasthan State Mine Labour Union protested at the National Institute of Occupational Health (NIOH). Protesters demanded release of a report covering the findings of a study conducted on asbestos miners. The study included one hundred sixty four mineworkers and the possible affects of asbestos mining on their health.

Asbestos is classified as a Type 1 carcinogen. It causes several fatal respiratory conditions including lung cancer, asbestosis and mesothelioma. Asbestos use has become highly regulated in many developed countries, as the safety and health hazards have become known. However, in developing nations, such as India, asbestos continues to be used regularly and without proper protective measures.

The US covers asbestos use in the Clean Air Act, the Environmental Protection Agency’s code of conduct regarding the quality and maintenance of American air. Currently, asbestos lawsuits are piling up in America, the UK and Australia as individuals and companies violate public health regulations. However, throughout the world thousands are working with and around asbestos without the benefit of such regulations or even the safety education to take personal precautions.

Asbestos is considered to be the exclusive cause of rare cancer mesothelioma, a cancer affecting abdominal cavity lining, most commonly of the lungs. Airborne asbestos fibers can begin a mutative process if inhaled. Mesothelioma takes decades to develop—typically between twenty and fifty years to show symptoms. Diagnosis is difficult as most mesothelioma patients have no idea they were exposed to asbestos, and therefore do not know what to look for. Coughing and wheezing are normal symptoms of mesothelioma, but often misdiagnosed as pneumonia or other respiratory infections.

In India and the developing world, testing and treatment centers for such a specialized disease are hard to find. Mesothelioma patients in India are hard-pressed from their beginning of unprotected asbestos exposure, through the end with limited adequate testing and mesothelioma treatment facilities.

Rana Sengupta, managing trustee of Mines Labour Protection Campaign (MLPC), reported that of the one hundred sixty four workers in the study, nineteen have already died. Results from the study would greatly help mining and union authorities to implement proper protective measures and to begin treatment for the miners already affected.

An NIOH scientist stated that of those tested 93 workers already showed signs of asbestos related illness. That’s about 65% of the workers still alive who were part of the study. The report however, has still not been released. Many believe there is more to this situation, as members of the NIOH who conducted the testing have suddenly resigned.

Protesters continue to make their demands and are threatening a hunger strike.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 19th, 2011 at 8:19 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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Study suggests radical surgeries produce better results

Mesothelioma Law Blog: Study suggests radical surgeries produce better resultsMesothelioma Law Blog« Fire at Remington Arms Plant in Connecticut May Reveal Asbestos |Main| Test May Detect Mesothelioma »

Study suggests radical surgeries produce better resultsObtaining an Upper Estimate of the Survival Benefit Associated with Surgery for Mesothelioma, a recent study which was published in the European Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, discusses in detail the benefits of radical surgery and multimodality therapy in treatment of malignant mesothelioma.

The study, conducted by M. Utley and colleagues of the University College London, concludes in a general sense that radical surgeries and multimodality treatments, where available, tend to improve patient survival by a substantial margin.

Malignant mesothelioma, or a cancerous tumor of the mesothelial tissue, is a terminal disease which is caused by exposure to toxic asbestos fibers. Asbestos fibers which are accidentally ingested or inhaled become lodged in the mesothelial tissues surrounding the lungs after slipping through the lung tissue itself. The fibers instigate a scarring-like reaction in the mesothelium which can develop into malignant tumors given enough time. Mesothelioma can take anywhere from ten to fifty years to develop after initial exposure, and often presents with vague, general symptoms.

The study headed by M. Utley compared the survival rates of several different sets of patients. Patients who underwent no surgery were compared with those who underwent three separate levels of increasingly radical treatment regimens. The three types of treatment covered in the study were as follows:

    * Thoracotomy: An incision in the chest cut through which to remove a tumor
    * Resection: Affected tissues and / or organs (mesothelium and sometimes lung) are completely removed
    * Multimodality: Affected tissues are removed and the are is treated with a direct application of chemotherapy

The results showed that patients who did not undergo surgery survived a mean of 16.8 months, thoracotomy patients survived a mean of 17.8 months, resection patients survived a mean of 17 months and multimodality patients survived a surprising 32.9 months.

While the results appear to demonstrate that more radical surgeries produce better results, it’s important to know that younger, healthier patients tend to be better candidates for radical treatment, and that those patients are often expected to survive longer to begin with.

“Given the burden of morbidity of resection in the management of pleural mesothelioma,” concluded the researchers, “this most optimistic estimate of the magnitude of any survival benefit should be taken into account in any policy decision, in clinical trial proposals and in strategies adopted by clinical teams.”

SourceSeptember 15, 2010 in General Mesothelioma News | Permalink

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