Causes of Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is a rare, serious and aggressive cancer that normally occurs in the lungs. The only established cause of mesothelioma is exposure to asbestos. Asbestos fibers are breathed in or inhaled by the victim. These fibers become lodged in the pleura of the lung – the thin membrane that lines and encases the lung and resembles Saran Wrap. The fibers irritate the pleura cells. In a healthy person, the pleura cells facilitate the lung’s ability to move inside the chest when a victim is breathing. In a victim of mesothelioma, the cells are irritated and cannot properly perform their function.

If swallowed, these fibers can reach the abdominal cavity where they have a role in causing peritoneal mesothelioma.

Victims of mesothelioma will begin to experience difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, as well as a variety of other symptoms. The onset of mesothelioma symptoms may not begin to surface for decades after a person has been exposed to asbestos. There are cases where victims have not shown symptoms for 10 years, and as long as 60 years.

Please see our page on the symptoms of mesothelioma for more detailed information.

The companies that manufactured asbestos knew they were placing people at risk. Alternatives to asbestos were available, but they were not used. Asbestos was readily available and cheap, and it was a good filler and binder. Asbestos was used in products from the 1920s through the 1970s and 1980s, until most of these products were banned in the United States and abroad.

If you worked in any of the following occupations, you may have been exposed to asbestos:

The causes of mesothelioma are more likely to affect males than females, because males are more likely to be exposed to asbestos. Secondary exposure can also contribute to the causes of mesothelioma when workers inadvertently carry asbestos fibers home on their person and family members are exposed.

Because inhalation and ingestion of asbestos are the primary causes of mesothelioma, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has set permissible exposure limits on the amount of asbestos that an employee can be exposed to in the workplace. Employee exposure to asbestos cannot exceed 0.1 fiber per cubic meter of space averaged over an eight hour work day or 1 fiber per cubic meter in any thirty minute period.

Some work environments are required to conduct daily monitoring of asbestos levels to prevent the causes of mesothelioma. Protective gear, adequate ventilation, and respiratory equipment must also be supplied by employers to prevent the causes of mesothelioma from harming workers. Even with these precautions, as many as 1.3 million construction workers alone are exposed to the causes of mesothelioma every year.

Rarely, mesothelioma develops in people who have never been exposed to asbestos. The other causes of the disease are not fully understood, but in a handful of cases, the development of mesothelioma has been linked to exposure to radiation.

Current research studies have not found a link between smoking and an increased risk of developing mesothelioma. Neither does being exposed to other building materials, such as Fiberglas.

Mesothelioma is not contagious and cannot be passed on to other people.

If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, or are worried that you might have mesothelioma, you may be eligible for compensation. Medical treatment is your primary concern, however, knowing your legal rights can help protect you and your family.