Mesothelioma and asbestos lung cancer patients need justice
The leading risk factor for lung cancer is smoking. More than 80% of lung cancers are due to cigarette smoking. The longer a person has been smoking and also the more cigarettes a person smokes a day, the greater the risk is for developing lung cancer. Not only are smokers vulnerable to lung cancer, but the people around them are at a greater risk as well due to breathing second-hand smoke. Non-smokers who are married to smokers are at a 30% greater risk than non-smokers who are married to non-smokers. Marijuana cigarettes may also increase the risk of lung cancer since they contain many of the same cancer-causing agents that tobacco cigarettes have and are inhaled more deeply.
Lung cancer most commonly begins in the cells that line your lungs. Smoking causes the majority of lung cancers — both in smokers and in people exposed to secondhand smoke. But lung cancer also occurs in people who never smoked. In these cases, there may be no clear cause of lung cancer. Doctors have identified factors that may increase the risk.
Lung cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world. It is a leading cause of cancer death in men and women in the United States. Cigarette smoking causes most lung cancers. The more cigarettes you smoke per day and the earlier you started smoking, the greater your risk of lung cancer. High levels of pollution, radiation and asbestos exposure may also increase risk.
Causes of Lung Cancer
Smoking: smoking remains the greatest risk factor for lung cancer. Your risk of lung cancer increases with the number of cigarettes you smoke each day and the number of years you have smoked. Quitting at any age can significantly lower your risk of developing lung cancer.
Diet: Scientists are studying many different foods to see how they may change the risk of getting lung cancer. However, any effect diet may have on lung cancer risk is small compared with the risk from smoking. Eating a lot of fat and cholesterol might increase risk of lung cancer. Drinking a lot of alcohol may raise risk as well.
Family History: Studies have found a chromosome that may be resposible for lung cancer. The chromosome can be inherited. If you have had lung cancer before, there is a chance you may develop another type of lung cancer.
Air pollution from vehicles, industry, and power plants can raise the likelihood of developing lung cancer in exposed individuals. Up to 1% of lung cancer deaths are attributable to breathing polluted air, and experts believe that prolonged exposure to highly polluted air can carry a risk similar to that of passive smoking for the development of lung cancer.
Symptoms of Lung Cancer
People often decide to visit the doctor only after they have been bothered by certain complaints over a period of time. Individuals who have lung cancer frequently experience symptoms such as the following:
Metastasis to the bones is most common with small cell type cancers but also occurs with other lung cancer types. Lung cancer that has metastasized to the bone causes bone pain, usually in the backbone (vertebrae), the thighbones, and the ribs.
Shortness of breath usually results from a blockage to the flow of air in part of the lung, collection of fluid around the lung (pleural effusion), or the spread of tumor throughout the lungs.
A cough that does not go away or gets worse over time should be evaluated by a health-care provider.
Chest pain is a symptom in about one-fourth of people with lung cancer. The pain is dull, aching, and persistent and may involve other structures surrounding the lung.
Wheezing or hoarseness may signal blockage or inflammation in the lungs that may go along with cancer.
Watch the video related to asbestos lung cancer
Mesothelioma and asbestos-related lung cancer patients: Weitz & Luxenberg is a personal injury law firm that has recovered millions of dollars for mesothelioma patients and patients with asbestos lung cancer. We know how to fight for you in your mesothelioma or asbestos-related lung cancer case.
Help answer the question about asbestos lung cancer
What exactly is cancer?Isn't cancer.. cells that over produce themselves or something like that. create tumors?
But what does that have to do with things like lung cancer from smoking or cancer from asbestos or something.
"fertilizers that are used in growing most tobacco contain radioactive material that is carried in the smoke that is inhaled, and when it decomposes, it can mess up a cell's DNA. (You can avoid this buy smoking organic tobacco.)"
I have a hard time believeing that fertilizer has radioactive ingridents in it. And organic tobacco elimates cancer.
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Wow, another indoor quality fiasco better call SteriTec
216-410-1090 to get quality advice
Great, Now I’ve got something else to worry about. Very well presented though I must say!
The carcinogenic nature of asbestos (chrysotile) has been related to the shape of the particles more than their composition. In other words, the substance itself is not carcinogenic – the shape is!
Chrysotile produces very thin fibers that can be many times longer than they are wide. When these become embedded in the lungs, larger particles can be coughed out but smaller particles need to be carried out by a type of white blood cell called a macrophage. Unfortunately, small asbestos fibers tend to be so long relative to their width that they tend to be actually longer than the macrophages. When the macrophages try to engulf them, the cells puncture and the macrophages die before they can do their job.
The EPA has targeted asbestos fibers over 8 micrometers in length as being the bad actors in causing mesothelioma (asbestos-related cancer), and claims that particles shorter than about 4 micrometers are not harmful (although this point is still being argued). Theoretically, the macrophages can successfully engulf shorter particles and get rid of them.
So why the cancer? There have been various theories about the mechanism. One theory is that the constant release of biochemical "distress signals" given off by the dying macrophages are the actual cause of the cancer. Another theory is that the asbestos particles have active surface sites for the generation of free radicals from oxygen, and that the free radicals are capable of reacting with and damaging the surrounding cells.
It's an interesting story. The link below has everything that you need (it is basically a list of resource papers and articles) although you will have to do some work to sift through the material.
The summary I wrote here is just from memory. When I was in university many moons ago this was one of the hot research topics in our department, so I got to see a lot of presentations on the subject although it was not an area in which I was personally working.
Good luck on the project
Shortness of breath is the main first symptom. Fatigue, weight loss, and a dry cough are also symptoms. My mom died from mesothelioma in 2006.
Shit my dads work has vermicullite in the walls Oh well what dosent hurt us.
Asbestos does indeed cause a rare form of lung disease called mesothelioma. It is because of the nature of the extremely small fibers that make up asbestos. Once the loose fibers are inhaled the stay in the lungs for years as a constant irritant to the lungs, and eventually cancer results. In the past asbestos was used in everything from brake shoes, to window putty, to pipe insulation and more. It was used because of its ability to withstand high temps. The real problem is when the fibers are loose like when the wheels of a car are removed and the dust is inhaled, or when the insulation of an old building is flaking and the fibers are loose and can be inhaled, this is the real danger. As long as the asbestos is intact and the fibers are not loose there is no danger. Asbestos is no longer used in cars, or insulation or ceiling tiles or any other products because it is so dangerous. If these are newer ironing board covers there is no asbestos in there. About 5 years ago here in MN there was a congressman who died of lung cancer caused by asbestos exposure. He worked in old buildings in the east side of Saint Paul, MN and was exposed to asbestos insulation. Once a person has it there is no cure, but based on what you wrote I would not worry about any modern products as asbestos was outlawed a long time ago.
Have you thought to ask your parents about this … or going to see your doctor?
Warts are not caused by asbestos … they are caused by a virus .
another disaster brewing in the giant cauldron known as the United States of America .
suggest you check out the american heart and lung website. lots of useful information there.
There have been many types of lung issues. None from asbestos as that takes many years to develop. There is however lung issues from all the construction dust from drywall and concrete which will effect you immediately.
It's unlikely.
Cats don't smoke, which greatly increases the likelihood of lung cancer for people who have been exposed to asbestos.
Cats don't live very long, and are likely to die of other causes well before lung cancer would show up.
But here's the thing: if your cat has been exposed to asbestos, so have you. Kitty will have carried some fibers home on her fur. I'm more worred about you than the cat. Tell your doctor. You may want to get screened in a decade.
It depends on the kind of asbestos. Some kinds the risk is so low that it is worse to remove it, because of the added risk of stirring it up. I'm assuming you mean mesothelioma, which afflicts about 2-3,000 new people each year in the US (out of all third of a billion of us!), so the actual risk is very, very low. It also tends to be older folks. Of course, none of that helps if it's you, but you should keep the risk in perspective, and remember to wear a seatbelt and not smoke before you worry about spending mega-bucks removing asbestos or buying a new home to get away from it.
Here's some info on prevention:
I suppose it could be a danger if you were in the heavy processing of these items. On the other hand, people who have never smoked still get lung cancer, as did the wife of Christopher Reeves.
They say paint, intensive gasoline fumes, and other chemicals infiltrating our air can cause this as well.
My sister died with it and it was thought to be strictly from stress.
We are all at a certain risk level just by living in a society. Don't worry about it though – worry can cause cancer too.