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…

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

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.

Meso – middle

Theli (thele) – chest

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

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.

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.