Mesothelioma Blog

MANHATTAN BEACH – The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) is a 4,000 member strong organization that was co-founded by Linda Reinstein and her daughter, Emily, in 2004. The purpose of the organization is to raise public awareness about the dangers of asbestos—a known cancer causing agent—as well as to honor the memory of Linda’s late husband and Emily’s father, Alan Reinstein, who died of asbestos related disease in 2006.

Largely supported by the Reinstein family and members of the Manhattan Beach community, the ADAO will hold its fifth annual conference on March 28 of this year at the South Beach Marriott Hotel. Linda and Emily Reinstein, as well as other conference planners, will be joined at the event by physicians, scientists, asbestos disease victims, family members, and other interested parties who will travel to the conference from a total of five different countries.

The ADAO is pleased to announce that the conference will be attended by the Medical Director of Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, Dr. Stephen M. Levin, a physician who treats victims of asbestos related disease. Levin has stated publicly that many of his patients have become ill due to extensive exposures to asbestos following the 9-11 attack on the World Trade Center.

Asbestos is a naturally occurring silicate mineral, the popularity of which dates back to ancient times when its many unique characteristics served mankind in countless ways. Asbestos can be mined from deposits in the earth or extracted from above grade rock formations in numerous countries around the globe. Asbestos is virtually fireproof, has a very high tensile strength, is nearly impervious to harsh chemical corrosives, and has superior electrical and thermal insulating properties. Because of its many desirable attributes, asbestos had received a warm welcome by countless industries in the late1800s and into the first half of the twentieth century.

Asbestos found its way into myriad products such as building materials, automotive brake pads and clutch plates, boiler and blast furnace seals, electrical and thermal insulation materials, home appliances, and many more items that surround us every day. In the early 1970s, however, scientists and health care professionals confirmed that exposures to microscopic airborne asbestos fibers posed a dire threat to human health, and as a result, large scale industrial use of the material has been largely banned in numerous countries around the world.

Once asbestos fibers enter the lungs, they become permanently lodged there and can (up to 50 years later) cause the onset of respiratory diseases such as asbestosis and malignant pleural mesothelioma, the latter being an aggressive, incurable, and deadly form of lung cancer. For these reasons, the ADAO wants to be certain that as many people as possible are aware of the severe threat to health posed by exposures to asbestos, including lawmakers in the nation’s State Houses, as well as federal legislators in Washington, D.C.

While asbestos is banned for industrial use in 40 countries, the United States isn’t one of them, a fact ADAO and other similar awareness groups hope to change. “The United States is unfortunately a bit of a laggard in this situation,” said ADAO member Doug Larkin, though, Linda Reinstein believes 2009 could be the year state and federal laws finally change.

Reinstein has spent the past five years traveling to Washington in a lobbying effort to convince lawmakers that it’s time for them to stop listening to special interest groups and finally do the right thing. “I think there’s no place for politics when it comes to public health,” said Reinstein. “We have support in both the Senate and the House.”

The facts would seem to be on the ADAO’s side: government sanctioned statistics show that respiratory diseases such as asbestosis and mesothelioma kill over 10,000 people every year in the United States, though, the ADAO and other similar groups contend the number is closer to 40,000.

Source article link: http://www.contracostatimes.com/californ…

Once a rare type of cancer, mesothelioma has become increasingly common throughout the world. This is largely due to the rise in asbestos product use that began in the 1960s. Though asbestos use has been dramatically reduced since it has been linked to the deadly cancer, a new study in Great Britain suggests that deaths caused by the illness are expected to rise steadily for the next few years.

The study began by tallying all British deaths from the past several decades that referenced mesothelioma on the death certificate. As expected, these numbers rose from 153 deaths in 1968 to 1,848 deaths in 2001. In total, 25,000 people died from mesothelioma during this time frame.

Using these figures, and accounting for the rise and fall of asbestos exposure, analysts have concluded that mesothelioma deaths will continue to rise. The peak death rate from the disease is expected to occur between 2011 and 2015. The estimated number of deaths at this time is between 1,950 and 2,450 people.

However, the study does offer some good news. Following the predicted peak in mesothelioma death rates, the numbers are expected to drop rapidly. In total, approximately 90,000 British citizens are expected to die from mesothelioma between the years of 1968 and 2050. 65,000 of these deaths will occur after 2001.

Resource:

The expected burden of mesothelioma mortality in Great Britain from 2002 to 2050
http://www.nature.com/bjc/journal/v92/n3/full/6602307a.html

Residents in the Aviaries section of Armley (west Leeds in the UK) will have until March to get their homes tested for asbestos. The program has provided inspections for over 600 homes near the former site of the JW Roberts asbestos factory.

The factory was closed in the mid-1950s and manufactured asbestos linings for a number of products including boilers and mattresses for nearly 80 years. One notable mesothelioma victim as a result of exposure from the plant is June Hancock whose foundation started in 1997 continues to raise money for mesothelioma research.

The free inspections will end March 31 and so far nearly £10 million has been spent decontaminating residences found to contain asbestos. Members of the Armley Asbestos Campaign are optimistic that their proactive approach may have saved lives by preventing unnecessary exposure to current and future generations.

The approximate etymology for mesothelioma is:

Meso – middle

Theli (thele) – chest

Oma – “to take root” but is now used to describe tumors

The New York Times health blog reprinted Hamilton Jordan’s advice from his 2001 memoir:

No. 1: Be an active partner in the medical decisions that are made about your life.
No. 2: Seek and know the truth about your illness, and prognosis.
No. 3: Get a second opinion.
No. 4: Determine upfront how broad or narrow your physicians’ experience is.
No. 5: If you have a poor prognosis, or a rare form of cancer, try to get to a center of excellence.
No. 6: Do not allow your caregivers to project their values, goals and expectations onto you.
No. 7: Understand the economics of cancer care.
No. 8: Ultimately, find a doctor that you trust and believe in.
No. 9: Treat your mind as well as your body.
No. 10: Your attitude and beliefs are your most powerful weapon against cancer.

Hamilton Jordan – Jimmy Carter’s campaign genius in 1976 and later his White House Chief of Staff. He had four different types of cancer during his life. He eventually died from mesothelioma last week after a long battle with the illness. Big tribute in Atlanta last week.

The federal Dept of Veterans Affairs put out a press release noting their leadership in providing hospice care for veterans: “Nearly 9,000 veterans were treated in designated hospice beds at VA facilities in 2007, and thousands of other veterans were referred to community hospices to receive care in their homes.” Care for veterans should be one of our nation’s highest priorities, and the veterans affairs department, through their network of veteran service officers, helps provide that care.

U.S. News is reporting that Georgia Tech researchers developed a small device that could detect cancer. It’s an acoutic sensor that detects small amounts of mesothelin in the blood. Mesothelin is one of the markers of mesothelioma. “Early detection is a holy grail of cancer research,” the article says. Indeed it is, and although this new development probably won’t yield practical applications for a few years, it is encouraging news.

There were slightly fewer cancer deaths in the US in 2004 than in 2003.  A minor drop, but it is somewhat good news.  Mesothelioma remains intractable to treatment, however, and its incidence continues steady or a slight increase, due to the long latency time.The National Center for Health Statistics report actually shows that while cancer deaths did decline, other diseases such as strokes, influenza, and diabetes declined faster.  The Pump Handle blog notes that the “cancer burden” on the living is important to consider also.  Fewer people dying is great, and there are as many people as ever, or more getting cancer, meaning that the economic and psychological burden on people with the cancer and their families is increasing.  The blog also notes that childhood cancer incidence has been steadily going up, although it is still low compared to rates of older adults.

The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization announced they will give an award to Senator Patty Murray for her work in trying to get asbestos outlawed.  Murray has been a leader in this area.  Sadly, asbestos products can still be sold in the US under existing law.