Facts About Mesothelioma in California

California Mesothelioma Comes From Industries With Asbestos Exposure

Oct 21, 2009 John Wu

Mesothelioma is a cancer that's caused by asbestos. Many workers in California once worked in industries with asbestos and may contract mesothelioma decades later.

Mesothelioma is a cancer that's almost always caused by asbestos exposure. The name of the disease comes from the name of the membrane that protects internal organs, called the mesothelium. In most cases, the disease affects the heart (paracardial mesothelioma), lungs (pleural mesothelioma), or the stomach (peritoneal mesothelimona). The cells in this type of cancer divide very aggressively and often become metastatic to other nearby organs before diagnosis.

California Mesothelioma Risk Factors

Asbestos has been used in many California industries over the past 100 years. Some of those industries employed millions of California workers. Some industries that used asbestos in the past include:

• Aerospace (major part of the Southern California economy in the 1980s and 1990s)
• Automobile
• Chemical Plants
• Construction
• Oil and Gas
• Power Plants
• Shipbuilding
• Military, especially the US Navy

Asbestos is no longer used in the United States to produce new products. However, many common products that were made in the past may still contain asbestos today. Some of those products include air conditioners, stucco, walls, paint, ovens, and pipes. In particular, asbestos floor tiles used to be very popular in California and are still in many homes today.

It's possible for anyone to get mesothelioma. Moving old appliances may cause asbestos dust to get into the air and enter one's lungs. Children may be learning inside a school that used asbestos during construction many decades ago. Given the dilapidated state of California public schools, the risk to students is real.

California Proposition 65 Warning

One way to mitigate some of these risks is to heed notice of any residence that has a Proposition 65 warning posted. Any apartment or rental housing in California that's known to have asbestos, as well as other carcinogens and toxins must have this warning prominently displayed. In California, Prop 65 warnings are very commonplace if one is looking out for them.

Symptoms and Diagnosis of Mesothelioma

It takes from 20 to 50 years after asbestos exposure before symptoms appear that allow a diagnosis of mesothelioma to be made. Some symptoms that may indicate mesothelioma include:

• shortness of breath
• fatigue
• weight loss
• coughing, sometimes with blood
• chest or abdominal pain

Since these symptoms are similar to other many medical conditions, it's important for patients to tell their doctors about their symptoms and work history if they've ever worked in industries that have asbestos. Only a biopsy can conclusively determine whether one has mesothelioma, but the biopsy won't be ordered if patients don't communicate past exposure with medical professionals.

Early recognition of symptoms can keep mesothelioma from becoming fatal. Early diagnosis allows for more treatment options such as chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery. That's why communication of previous asbestos exposure is very important when mesothelioma symptoms appear.

Workers and family members who have mesothelioma may wish to contact a California attorney specializing in toxic exposure to recover some of the costs of treating this disease as well as collect damages from previous employers or others that caused asbestos exposure. Loved ones of family members who have died from mesothelioma may also want to contact a lawyer to initiate a wrongful death lawsuit. Because this disease often comes from a known source of asbestos exposure, mesothelioma lawsuits often lead to favorable financial settlements.

References:

US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assesment (OEHHA).

The copyright of the article Facts About Mesothelioma in California in General Medicine is owned by John Wu. Permission to republish Facts About Mesothelioma in California in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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