What are the four most important risk factors for mesothelioma?

A risk factor is something that affects your chance of having a disease like cancer. Different cancers have different risk factors. For example, the skin is strong sunlight is a risk factor for skin cancer. Smoking is a risk factor for cancer of the lung, mouth, larynx (larynx), bladder, kidney, and various other organs. With a known risk factor, or even several risk factors does not mean that the disease. And some people who can get the disease had no known risk factors.

These are known risk factors for the development of mesothelioma cancer:

1-Asbestos

The most important risk factor for developing mesothelioma is exposure to asbestos. In fact, most cases of mesothelioma related to asbestos.

Asbestos refers to a family of fibrous minerals made of silicate. It is a naturally occurring mineral dust and stones can be found in certain parts of the United States and other parts of the world. There are two types of asbestos:

1-Serpentine (curly) chrysotile fibers are the most common form of asbestos. 2-amphiboles are thin, rod-shaped fibers. There are five main types - crocidolite, amosite anthrophylite, tremolite, and actinolyte.

Amphiboles are (especially crocidolite) rather than to cause cancer. But by the most commonly used chrysotile fibers with mesothelioma.

When inhaled chrysotile fibers in the air, they tend to stick in the throat, trachea (windpipe) or bronchi (large breathing tubes of the lungs) and then be approved by coughing or swallowing mucus. But the long, thin amphibole fibers are less readily cleared, and they can reach the ends of the small airways and penetrate into the pleural lining of the lungs and chest wall. These fibers can injure mesothelial cells of the pleura, and eventually cause mesothelioma.

Asbestos fibers can also damage cells of the lungs and cause asbestosis (scar tissue in the lungs) and / or lung cancer. Peritoneal mesothelioma that forms in the abdomen can, through coughing and swallowing asbestos fibers lead inhaled. was due to the heat and fire resistant asbestos in many products such as insulation, floor tiles, door gaskets, soundproofing, roofing, patching compounds, fireproof gloves were used, ironing board covers and pads. The relationship between asbestos and mesothelioma became known, so that their use was dramatically reduced in the United States. Most use the set after 1989, but it is still used in some products.

People at risk for occupational exposure to asbestos include some miners, factory workers, insulation manufacturers and installers, automobile and railroad workers, ship builders, gas mask manufacturers and construction workers. Family members of persons exposed to asbestos at work are at increased risk of developing mesothelioma because asbestos fibers can be done at home on the clothing of workers. The incidence of mesothelioma in men seem to fall, probably because there is now much less direct exposure to asbestos in industrial jobs.

Asbestos was used in the isolation of many older homes and commercial and public buildings across the country, including several schools.

The risk of developing mesothelioma, is how much asbestos a person was exposed to and how long the exposure lasted related. People exposed at an early age, for a long time and in larger quantities are more likely to develop this cancer.

Mesothelioma long time to develop. The time between first exposure to asbestos and diagnosis of mesothelioma is usually between 20 and 50 years. Unfortunately, the risk of mesothelioma did not fall with time after exposure to asbestos. The risk appears to be lifelong and undiminished.

2-zeolites

Zeolites are silicate minerals that are chemically related to asbestos. For example, erionite, in the soil widespread in parts of Turkey. Mesothelioma high prices in these areas are likely the result of exposure to this mineral.

3-radiation

developed there are a few published reports of mesothelioma after exposure to high doses of radiation to the chest or abdomen or by injections of thorium dioxide (Thorotrast). This material was used by doctors for certain x-ray examinations until 1950. Thorotrast was found to cause cancer, it has not been used for many years.

4-SV40 virus, some studies have pointed to the possibility that an infection with simian virus 40 (SV40) increase the risk of developing mesothelioma increases. Some injectable polio vaccines 1955-1963 were contaminated with SV40. As many as 30 million people in the United States could be exposed to the virus. But so far there is no conclusive evidence of increased cases of mesothelioma in people who have received the contaminated vaccine.

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