Asbestos &amp; Mesothelioma News

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Peritoneal Mesothelioma Patient Wins Battle with Insurer, will Receive Surgery to Extend his Life

Battling cancer is daunting. but it’s a battle John Petok is ready to take on after fighting his insurance company for treatment.John was diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma. Caused by exposure to asbestos, peritoneal mesothelioma is a tumor arising from the thin membrane lining the organs of the abdomen–such as the stomach and intestines–and the abdominal cavity itself.Peritoneal mesothelioma is a rare and aggressive cancer, but his doctors at UPMC were hopeful that surgery could extend his life 5 to 10 years. Without it, he was given a prognosis of 6 to 12 months.However, his hopes for a positive outcome were...

29 May

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Smoking and Lung Cancer Not the End of the Story: Asbestos and Smoking Create an Incredibly Deadly Combination

Lung cancer is the most common type of cancer worldwide, resulting in 1.4 million deaths annually1. In the US, more than 150,000 deaths resulted from lung cancer in 20102. Although lung cancer can have numerous causes, smoking is a huge and well-known contributor to lung cancer deaths, with some 90% of all lung cancer cases a result of smoking tobacco.While there can be no discounting smoking’s ill health effects, the flood of information on smoking’s risks can drown out other causes of lung cancer. A recent study in The Annals of Occupational Hygiene, a research journal on hazards and risks...

29 May

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US Navy & Asbestos: Mesothelioma and Lung Cancer Among Veterans

Memorial day honors those who have died while in military service to our country. However, thousands of Navy veterans who were exposed to asbestos may pay the ultimate sacrifice years, even decades, after their service.Mesothelioma or lung cancer usually develop twenty, thirty, or even more years after exposure to asbestos. The long latency period between exposure and the development of asbestos-related diseases (ARDs), means thousands of veterans may be injured by their service, long after their active duty ended.Asbestos was so commonly used in ship building, that it is estimated that anyone who worked on a ship after 1930 was...

29 May

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Asbestos Legislation: Bruce Vento Ban Asbestos and Prevent Mesothelioma Act

After six years, the U.S. Senate finally, and unanimously, passed Senator Patty Murray’s Ban Asbestos in America Act last October. The act prohibits asbestos where present at more than 1% by weight, calls for a public education campaign about the dangers of asbestos exposure, and directs critically-needed federal research to begin to develop treatments for mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases.On Thursday February 28 at 12:30 PM EST, the House Energy and Commerce Committee will hold a hearing on Minnesota Democrat Rep. Betty L. McCollum’s "Bruce Vento Ban Asbestos and Prevent Mesothelioma Act" (HR 3339); a piece of companion legislation to...

29 May

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Jury awards $6 million to Shaler couple for asbestos injuries

From the Pittsburgh Post Gazette: A jury has awarded $6 million to a Shaler couple for injuries the husband received after repeated exposure to asbestos.The Common Pleas Court jury ordered DeZurik Inc. of Sartell, Minn., to pay the money to William and Lois Lisac.William Lisac, 62, a member of Steamfitters Local 449 for more than 40 years, was exposed to asbestos during the 1960s and 1970s when he worked with valves, gaskets and other products that contained the material at power plants, chemical plants and steel mills. He said DeZurik never warned him that he was working with a dangerous and...

29 May

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Asbestosis Can Lead to Lung Cancer or Mesothelioma

Asbestosis, while not a cancerous condition, is serious and potentially life-threatening chronic disease that is caused by breathing in asbestos fibers. A person who has been diagnosed with asbestosis has a much higher chance of developing lung cancer or pleural mesothelioma, a fatal cancer affecting the lining of the lungs. While not all asbestosis cases will progress to cancer, asbestosis can be a strong indicator that asbestos exposure was a factor in the development of a malignancy.Similar to mesothelioma, in asbestosis, asbestos fibers make their way to the lungs and become embedded in the inner tissue. The tissue then scars...

10 May

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Asbestos Diseases: Colon, Lung Cancer