mesothelioma

Mesothelioma Lawyer California Seeking Compensation For Asbestos-Related Diseases

Wed, 16 Mar 2011 15:54:34 +0100

The technological progression of the modern age has had many positive improvements to the quality of life of the average person, but along the way, there have been some very unfortunate side effects as well. One of the most compelling examples is the use of asbestos. This material is well known as a major cause of a kind of cancer known as mesothelioma. This rare but incurable disease still has a very poor prognosis even today, and many people justifiably seek out compensation for being exposed to a dangerous material like asbestos without being made aware of the risks. In this article, we will discuss this issue further and go into detail about the nature of asbestos, mesothelioma and related lawsuits, with a particular focus on California mesothelioma lawyers and what they can do for you.

Asbestos: The Root Cause
Asbestos is a material that was formerly used in construction. It was seen as extremely suitable for many different purposes owing to its tensile strength and its heat resistance, both properties that are very highly valued in construction materials. Industrial asbestos was used as an insulator as well as in mining and general purpose construction. We were not aware of its unfortunate side effects until quite some time after it became popular, though as we shall see, the risks were indeed known about earlier than you might assume. The asbestos timeline is complicated due to the conflicting desires of corporations and their workers, and for a time it remained popular despite its well-recognized health dangers. This is one of the reasons that a San Francisco asbestos lawyer might be sought in the case of health issues arising from the material.

Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma is a cancer that is widely associated with asbestos exposure. Thankfully, it is very rare, and affects only about 2000 people each year in the United States, out of a population of over 300 million. Although the disease can occur without the patient having had any exposure to asbestos, there is a very high correlation (about 70%-80%). Mesothelioma is so-called due to its development from the mesothelium, or the protective lining that covers the internal organs of the body. Most of the time, mesothelioma presents around the lungs, abdominal cavity or heart.

Symptoms And Prognosis Of Mesothelioma
One of the most pernicious aspects of the disease is its delayed onset. Mesothelioma often does not begin to show its symptoms until twenty to fifty years after the initial exposure. There are a number of different subtypes of mesothelioma, each of which presents with different symptoms. Taken as a whole, these symptoms may include chest and breathing problems such as a persistent cough, pain or shortness of breath, abdominal swelling, weight loss, blood clotting problems and fever. Diagnosing the disease definitively can be very difficult, as its symptoms are not unlike those, which present with a number of other medical problems. If it is indeed mesothelioma, the prognosis is often poor, with many patients surviving only a few years.

Treatment Options
Treatment of the disease can occur in a number of different ways. These include surgery, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and radiation treatment. Each of these treatment options has its benefits and drawbacks. The most common surgical intervention is known as a pleurectomy, which involves the removal of the chest lining. More severe surgeries may even involve the removal of one of the lungs. However, surgery is not usually very successful when used exclusively. Chemotherapy is perhaps the only definitive cause of improvement in mesothelioma patients. It essentially involves attempting to attack the cancerous cells with various chemicals. These chemicals are designed to kill only those cells that show a high likelihood of being cancerous, specifically those that divide very rapidly. This is a definitive feature of cancerous cells, but unfortunately, it is also characteristic of various other cells including those that make up your hair. This is why chemotherapy patients tend to suffer hair loss. A combination of different cancer treatments is known as multimodality therapy. It is usually the case that a combination of treatments has a better outcome than any single assault on the disease. The exact nature of the therapy will vary greatly depending on the patient’s current condition and the likely progression of the disease.

Potential Side Effects Of Treatment
Any severe medical intervention runs the risk of side effects. Chemotherapy, for example, has the aforementioned health problems associated with it, such as hair loss. However, another problem that can occur in rare cases is down to an element known as gadolinium. Gadolinium uses includes the contrast dye used in the MRIs that help doctors to diagnose the mesothelioma in the first place. The contrast is used to produce a clearer and more definitive picture that can make a diagnosis more definitive. Unfortunately, in rare cases there can be some severe side effects of gadolinium. For most people, these are relatively trivial; possibly a source of some discomfort but not dangerous. For a rare few, gadolinium may cause a disease known as nephrogenic systemic fibrosis, or NSF. This disease can cause breathing problems as well as joint and mobility issues that may result in the patient being wheelchair-bound. NSF can progress to fatality. In cases such as this, many patients turn to a mesothelioma law firm California such as Levin Simes Kaiser and Gornick, which specializes in cases of both mesothelioma and gadolinium side effects.

Mesothelioma Lawyer California
There are a number of reasons to contact a California mesothelioma lawyer should you be diagnosed with this cancer. It is important to recognize that in many cases the dangers caused by asbestos were well known and understood at the time. They could thus have been avoided, and the corporations who failed to act on this known medical knowledge should arguably be held accountable for their error. In many cases, California mesothelioma lawyers are sought in order to help cover the often severe medical costs of treating the disease. There are many related costs that can accrue, including outright medical costs, costs related to being out of work, costs relating to a shortened lifespan and the inability to pay for a son, daughter or spouse as one had intended, and more. A California mesothelioma attorney may be able to help you secure some of these funds. Other advantages to hiring a California asbestos lawyer or similar include simply exercising your legal rights in order to secure future generations against similarly unfair practices related to unsafe working conditions.

Conclusion
Mesothelioma is a cancer very strongly associated with exposure to asbestos. This building material had many different uses and applications in the 20th century and a great many people were exposed to it. This is despite the fact that the dangers of asbestos were well known at the time. Many people diagnosed with this disease opt to contact California mesothelioma lawyers to seek compensation for their exposure, illness and subsequent medical costs. The incentives go beyond that, however, and encompass a desire to build a precedent of company honesty in future, so that later generations need not grow up with the same dangers faced by workers in the early-to-mid-1900s. Contact a firm of California mesothelioma attorneys today and help to secure not only your future, but that of others as well.

Mesothelioma Lawyers California
There are many California mesothelioma attorneys or law firms. I do not feel comfort mentioning any specific names since I haven’t worked with any mesothelioma attorneys in California personally. However, I would strongly encourage you to go via the American Bar Association (ABA) and request a list of lawyers who focus on asbestos claims located in California. Here is a link that takes you straight over to a list of attorneys who meet the ABA standards:

List of lawyers in CA.

Where can I get mesothelioma financial help?

Sun, 13 Mar 2011 23:47:43 +0100

As a patient who has been diagnosed with cancer – and whose wife got diagnosed, too – I can relate the emotional stress that comes with such devastating news. But in addition to the health concerns, more often than not, cancer patients face significant financial challenges.

The vast majority of all mesothelioma diagnoses are related to occupational asbestos exposure. Therefore, as if you have been diagnosed with this rare type of cancer, you might be entitled to get mesothelioma financial help. The process of seeking compensation for the injuries you sustained is not easy though. I am not a person who likes litigation, but if it can be proved that your mesothelioma diagnosis was the direct result of you (former) employer’s negligence or misconduct, you will have very good chances to get the financial help you need and deserve. And in order to get a better understanding of what needs to be done you should find a trustworthy mesothelioma lawyer.

Mesothelioma lawyers have mushroomed over the past decade. You’ve certainly seen TV ads where those attorneys offer their services, offering you a free consultation. And that certainly is a good thing, however, I suspect that most mesothelioma attorneys don’t do that because they are overly compassioned, but the business of mesothelioma lawsuits has turned into a very lucrative enterprise.

Anyway, here is what I suggest you should do:

Call or contact the American Bar Association
Ask for a list of reputable mesothelioma lawyers
Take the list and go online, see if you can find their websites (I bet they all have website)
Try to do some research on their litigation history to make sure that they have sufficient experience in the field of asbestos lawsuits
Narrow down the list to at least 3 lawyer or law firms
Contact each of them individually
Meet with them in person – again, the first consultation is for free, but just make sure and ask them before the meeting
Once you met with all of them, discuss with your family and then make a decision
If you are not comfortable with any of them, go back to your list and start with the next group of attorneys

I wish there was an easier way to secure mesothelioma financial help, but in all likelihood, you will need a lawyer, because there will be a lot of money at stake.

Also, you should definitely take the effort and try to find out whether there are other employees who also got diagnosed with mesothelioma or any other asbestos induced disease. Because if that is the case, you may have the legal grounds for a class action lawsuit.

Here is a short video that summarizes the several options to obtain financial help when diagnosed with mesothelioma. Again, keep in mind, almost certainly you will still need a lawyer to get your claim handled appropriately:

What Is The Typical Mesothelioma Prognosis?

Fri, 25 Feb 2011 22:57:43 +0100

When my urologist called me in early October of 2009 to tell me that the CAT-Scan revealed a 7 cm tumor in my large kidney, I had no idea what my prognosis was. My wife and I had just gained some traction again after she had been diagnosed with breast cancer seven months earlier. It turned out that luckily, if kidney cancer is caught before it has spread outside the organ. A mesothelioma prognosis though is very different. Each year in the United States about 3,000 people get diagnosed with this rare form of cancer. The next step after a person has been diagnosed is to discuss the prognosis which is obviously strongly dependent on the stage of the disease and the patient's overall health condition. The earlier this malignant condition is being detected the better is the mesothelioma prognosis, or in other words the life expectancy.

In the vast majority of all instances, mesothelioma is not being diagnosed until the late stages and that's due to the fact that it can take a very long time before a patient exhibits the first symptoms. The diagnosis of mesothelioma is very difficult as symptoms of the condition resemble less severe illnesses. This explains why a mesothelioma prognosis is usually rather poor for a newly diagnosed patient. Treatments include surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. Also, there more and more reports emerge where patients claim that because of significant lifestyle changes, their mesothelioma prognosis has improved dramatically and some of them have reportedly even survived the disease.

Mesothelioma is categorized in stages, ranging from stage one to stage four. At the later stages, the treatment options become more limited and less effective. This is practically true for all cancers. Further to that, the patient's age is another factor that will affect the prognosis of mesothelioma alongside aspects such as:

- the specific type of mesothelioma (testicular, pleural, pericardial or peritoneal)
- the size and location of the primary mass
- whether or not the cancer has metastasized

The only known cause for mesothelioma is prolonged exposure to asbestos. This explains why certain occupations are associated with a higher risk of developing the disease. The U.S. Government has regulated the handling of this carcinogenic material in the 1980s. However, to this day and age we are still surrounded by asbestos. I am sure you frequently run into sites where a large sign says “Danger – Asbestos”.

The Asbestos Exposure Mesothelioma Link

Fri, 25 Feb 2011 17:32:44 +0100

As a kidney cancer patient and a husband whose wife had been diagnosed with breast cancer back in 2009, I can certainly relate to the devastation an individual experiences when confronted with a cancer diagnosis. But I actually think that I got lucky, and I will tell you why.

I have been exposed to asbestos when I was a teenager. Back in the early 1980s, nobody cared about protection when working with asbestos sheet rock. This material was used widely for all kinds of insulation purposes so my father had decided to install them in our house in order to save on heating. Over the course of a year I had literally swallowed and inhaled little chunks of asbestos. As a matter of fact, I am now 38 years old, I can still remember the taste and texture. When the day was over I had it all over me, oftentimes I was completely covered in asbestos dust.

But it took over 20 years for me to develop specific asbestos exposure symptoms. Or to be more precise, I should actually say kidney cancer symptoms. My cancer had literally destroyed my left kidney which was removed in November of 2009 via a laparoscopic nephrectomy. According to the pathology, my cancer must have been growing inside of my for about 20 years and my Oncologist confirmed that there is a good chance that the cause of it was exposure to asbestos.
Okay, but now let’s have a closer look at the asbestos exposure mesothelioma link. Of course, by now we all know that being in contact to this highly carcinogenic material over a prolonged time can cause the development of mesothelioma, a rare cancer which in the vast majority of all cases attacks the lining of the lungs, medically referred to as mesothelioma. This cancer is growing very slowly which is a common thread for all asbestos induced diseases. According to modern medicine it is incurable. However, there are mesothelioma survivors who fondly believe their changes in lifestyle is responsible for the fact that they beat all odds and are still alive after 5 years since they had been diagnosed.

What we do know for a fact is that certain people are at a higher risk of developing mesothelioma, and those people are individuals working in certain professions. Especially asbestos removal jobs come with an increased risk, however, legislation enforces stricter rules nowadays and studies have shown that the rates associated with occupational asbestos exposure and mesothelioma are on the decrease.

What Is A Mesothelioma Memorial Scholarship?

Sun, 23 Jan 2011 15:51:42 +0100

I just read an interesting article about scholarships and thought I will share with you what I learned regarding mesothelioma scholarships.

While we have heard of all different kinds of memorial scholarships, the mesothelioma scholarship is rather new. However, it was installed and based on the same principles, as a monetary awarded given to qualifying students in memory of the thousands of mesothelioma victims. Mesothelioma is an asbestos induced disease and most victims who contracted this rare form of cancer have a history of occupational asbestos exposure.

The easiest way to apply for the mesothelioma scholarship is online. Here is the link to a website that will guide you through the application process:

Link to Mesothelioma Memorial Scholaraship application

Both national as well as international students may qualify. However, you must not have received already a scholarship through another organization.

The mesothelioma scholarship is awarded four times every year. The amount is $500 and will be awarded to students who were found worthy. it is important to note that while $500 is not a large sum, it is more of a gesture than a monetary incentive. Also, the organization from who the awards are coming from has made a statement that they will look into option to increase the sum in the new future ones the appropriate funds can be allocated.

The mesothelioma memorial scholarship was established in 2003. Initially, only national students were awarded, however, in 2007 that rule had changed. So as long as you are a student of any type of college, you are technically eligible for applying. You mask ask your teachers and counsellors to help you with the application process. Furthermore, some rumours you might have heard of only medical students are being eligible for receiving the mesothelioma scholarship, are not correct.

Specifically for the 2010-2011 academic year, the $500 mesothelioma memorial scholarship award can be applied for by any person who is currently attending or planning to attend a college, university, technical institute, trade school or any other form of post secondary educational program. Interestingly enough, the $500 check is directly issued to the students and not the institution, which gives the recipient more flexibility in how they want to use the money in order to support their academic endeavors.

Is There A Small Cell Cancer Mesothelioma?

Sat, 22 Jan 2011 14:35:04 +0100

Mesothelioma is being referred to in many ways. Some call it small cell cancer mesothelioma, which is actually a misnomer. But I will explain in more detail that in a little bit.

The last century was a roller-coaster ride for asbestos. In the beginning this fibrous and carcinogenic material was praised by the industry as the new "wonder-compound". And in a way, rightly so - after all, this fibrous mineral was predestined to be us strengthening material for cement, drywall, insulators and a whole myriad of other items used in construction. But as it turned out, asbestos fibers are highly carcinogenic and when they get inhaled or ingested and end up in the respiratory system, they can trigger the initiation of several cancers, including small cell lung cancer and mesothelioma.

But there is a difference between small cell cancer and mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a very rare form cancer and it always develops in the mesothelial cells that surround several organs inside the human body.
In the United States, every year about 3,000 cases of malignant mesothelioma. And according to several studies, occupational asbestos exposure is the number one cause. This cancer usually gets initiated in the lining of the lungs, heart or abdomen (mesothelium).

The latency time spans anywhere from 20 to 50 years. All asbestos induced diseases are known to lay dormant for many years or even decades before the first symptoms will eventually surface. Unfortunately, very often those symptoms resemble the signs of other and less severe health conditions. For instance, when I found blood in my urine and was bothered with this weird pain in both sides of lower back, we all thought that it was kidney stones. Because after all, I was only 37 years old and statistically there was only a 2% likelihood that I actually had kidney cancer. Well, we were wrong - it was renal cell carcinoma and my left kidney had to be removed.

Okay, now let's talk about small cell cancer, or more precisely, small cell lung cancer. Lung cancer is being categorized in small cell cancer and non-small cell cancer. Both can be caused by asbestos exposure. The symptoms may include shortness of breath, blood in the sputum, weight loss, loss of appetite, fatigue, persistent coughing and chest pain, etc.
Based on my experience as a breast cancer husband and kidney cancer patient, I can only urge you to seek medical attention as soon as you encounter any unusual symptoms. Let's be clear, not every pain in the abdomen means that you have cancer. It is very likely that it is something significantly less severe. However, you never know and you want to get to the bottom of things quickly. The sooner you start the appropriate treatment - and this is true for all health conditions, not only cancer - the better are the chances of recovery.

Here is a video from asbestos.net on lung cancer and asbestos:

Where Can I Find Mesothelioma Treatment Centers In New York And New Jersey?

Mon, 17 Jan 2011 01:30:43 +0100

Getting the best possible medical attention and care after a cancer diagnosis is the single most important thing. Both my wife and I have been there – a cancer diagnosis hits you like a hammer and it is very tough think clearly for days. But it is important that you stay calm and logically move forward with the next steps.

Before we have a closer look at mesothelioma treatment centers located in New York and New Jersey, let me briefly tell you about my kidney cancer. When I got diagnosed, I was more annoyed than scared. This probably hard to understand for a lot of people, but you must know that I’ve just been through the whole cancer roller-coaster thing after my wife had received her breast cancer diagnosis seven months earlier. I just wanted to take care of my situation as soon as possible. After all, the situation was clear. My left kidney was in the process of getting eaten alive by a cancerous mass. So it had to go. Instead of getting a second opinion, I initially decided to just have my urologist performing the necessary nephrectomy. However, I did reconsider and in retrospect it was a very good decision. I ended up having my surgery done in the renowned New York Presbyterian Columbia University by a crew of excellent urology-surgeons.

It does matter where you get your care from! Take your time and find the doctors you are comfortable with and whom you fully trust. This is a very important step in your fight against your mesothelioma (or any other cancer for that matter).
Finding the appropriate mesothelioma treatment options strongly depends on your individual situation. Each patient is different. Each cancer is different. What may or may not have worked for others is a good general point of reference, but it might not apply to you.

Alright, below are a few addresses that you can contact to inquire more about state of the art mesothelioma treatments.

Mesothelioma Treatment Centers in New Jersey:

Norris Cotton Cancer Center-Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center
Mesothelioma Treatment Section
Konstantin Dragnev, MD
One mEdical Center Drive
Lebanon, New Hampshire 03756

Somerset Medical Center
Mesothelioma Treatment Section
Hen-Vai Wu, MD
110 Rehill Ave.
Somerville, New Jersey O8876

Mesothelioma Treatment Centers in New York:

Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center
Mesothelioma Treatment Section
Mary Hesdorffer, RN, BSN, Clinical Research Nurse
161 Fort Washington Avenue
New York, New York 10032-3713

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer
Mesothelioma Treatment Section
Owen A. O'Connor, MD, PhD
1275 York Avenue
New York, New York 10021

Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital, Atchley Pavilion Room 907 Mesothelioma Treatment Section
Robert Taub, MD
161 Ft. Washington Ave
New York, New York 10032
New York University Medical Center

Kaplan Cancer Center
Dr. Roman Perez-Soler
Associate Director of Clinical Oncology
550 First Avenue
New York, New York 10016

This is not a comprehensive list. But I picked those locations that I personally know and which I can recommend based on my experience as kidney cancer patient and breast cancer husband.

Click here for a full list of mesothelioma treatment centers sorted by US-States.

What Is A Mesothelioma Biospy?

Sat, 15 Jan 2011 23:35:52 +0100

I don't know how many biopsies my wife had, but it was many - before and after she got diagnosed with breast cancer. And after a CAT-Scan indicated a large mass in my left kidney, I had a cystoscopy done, which is a also kind of biopsy.
But now let's talk about mesothelioma biopsy procedures. Mesothelioma, in comparison to many other cancerous diseases, is very rare. But nonetheless, all cancers have a common thread: the earlier they are being detected, the better are the chances of treating it effectively.

The only known cause for mesothelioma is exposure to asbestos. And like all asbestos induced diseases, the latency time can span over several decades. That means, early detection is very difficult. Which is very similar what was happened to me and my kidney cancer. According to the pathology, my kidney cancer had started 20 years ago already before I encountered the first symptoms.

A mesothelioma biopsy can be performed mainly in two ways. The first procedure is called a core biopsy, also known as incisional biopsy. A surgeon will remove just a very small sample of the tissue in question. However, this is only possible if the location of the tissue is easily accessible. And here is the problem with mesothelioma; the cancer usually grows in regions where a core biopsy is technically not possible, namely the pleura, pericardium and peritoneum. This leaves the surgeons only with one other option, which is the excisional biopsy. Via this procedure, the entire affected area is being removed, not just a small sample of the tissue.

Naturally, an excision is more risky than a core biopsy, because the procedure is more complicated and will take more time. But the main problem is the fact that those aforementioned linings (pericardium, peritoneum, pleura) surround vital organs.

Here is a video of a lung biopsy:

Well, there actually is a third mesothelioma biopsy procedure. It is called needle aspiration biopsy, and this is actually what most people refer to when they say: "I had a biopsy done." A hollow needle is being inserted through the skin to the tumor. This allows the doctors to remove cells of the affected tissue in a safe and quick way. The cell samples are then being sent to a laboratory for further evaluation and tested on malignancy. This procedure is called pathology.
Not only can the pathologist tell whether or not the sample contains cancerous cells, but also if the disease has already spread. If the margins of the sample are negative, chances are that the cancer has not spread yet. If they are positive, the doctors have to probably go back and remove more tissue. That actually happened to my wife. She had to have one surgery and two re-excisions until the margins were 100% clear.

How Dangerous is Actinolite Asbestos?

Fri, 26 Nov 2010 00:43:23 +0100

Actinolite is a naturally occurring mineral. It can be found in various locations all around the world in so called metamorphic rock formations. The mineral is found in different color shades, ranging from brown to green and white to gray, Its consistency can also vary depending on the location, and spans from brittle and fibrous to compact and dense.
Actinolite stems from the Greek term "Aktinos" which can be translated to "ray". This is a reference to the radiating properties of the mineral. Hyrdogen, oxygen, calcium, magnesium, iron and silicon are the elements composing actinolite. This composition is very similar to anthophyllite and tremolite - two closely related minerals - which makes it just as dangerous to human health. It was clinically proven that actinolite alongside other forms of asbestos are carcinogenic.

Being exposed to these minerals can result in the development of asbestos induced diseases, including asbestosis, lung cancer, kidney cancer and mesothelioma. Asbestos has a long history of commercial use throughout the ninetieth and twentieth century. And still to this day and age it is legal to use asbestos containing materials. Millions of private residences and public buildings across the United States are still using asbestos materials for insulation purposes. The truth of the matter is, a broad selection of products that are out on the market still contain actinolite asbestos. For example, you might have heard of the Zonolite Corporation. This company has made various products that contained actinolite, such as the Zonolite Brand Vermiculite and Zonolite Attic Insulation. Up until not too long ago, actinolite products were available through many home improvement stores and found therefore widespread use by construction companies and Do-It-Yourself home owners. When the friable actinolite asbestos is being inhaled or ingested, the toxic fibers can get lodged inside the human body.

Over course of time, the carcinogenic fibers start to damage the cells which can then lead to the development of the aforementioned diseases, with mesothelioma being the most dreadful illness since it is incurable. In a suburb in the State of New Jersey, the presence of actinolite has turned into a major issue, when local authorities found the mineral in a soil sample taken from public property nearby an university. The sample was given to an asbestos testing lab and the results confirmed that the concentration of actinolite was 10 percent, which is exceeding the safety standards.

My family and I live in New Jersey and it is still mind boggling to me how many locations we run into to find signs saying: "Danger - Asbestos Removal". Many people may be prone to be exposed to asbestos without even knowing it, considering the quantities of actinolite asbestos that is released to the air which we all breath in. I lost my left kidney to cancer and therefore I am a little bit more anxious if it comes to asbestos exposure and the lack of protection we have to deal with in certain areas. To make matters even worse, there are other reported sources of actinolite asbestos, including children's toys, joint compounds, drywall compounds and other products mainly used for insulation and construction purposes. With all that being said, chances are that thousands of people may have unknowingly in contact with actinolite, either through asbestos containing materials or environmental conditions.

(Picture of Actinolite Quarz Rock - courtesy of www.rockpow.com)

In conclusion: actinolite is extremely dangerous, no matter what source you might be exposed to.

What Are Common Asbestos Exposure Symptoms?

Sun, 17 Oct 2010 14:24:09 +0100

Before we go in more detail to find out about the most commonly seen asbestos exposure symptoms, let’s first discuss what asbestos is and what role the material played in the past and up to this day.

When I got diagnosed with kidney cancer back in October 2009, I first didn't think of asbestos exposure being a potential cause for my Renal Cell Carcinoma. My wife had received her breast cancer diagnosis seven month earlier and naturally we were desperately trying to find out the reason behind our illnesses. First, we thought that there might have been something wrong with our living environment, maybe we were exposed to toxins in our house or on our property. Well, we learned that my wife's breast cancer was as old as 7-10 years, and as for my kidney cancer, the doctors told me that based on the pathology, it could have started over 20 years ago. That, of course, was good news since we were concerned about our two daughters and if there would have been a problem with our home, we obviously would have been forced to move out as soon as possible. Okay, but what on earth was the actual cause for my cancer of the kidney? I was trying to track back where I was and what I did approximately 20-25 years ago. The truth of the matter is, I will never find out why I got cancer, however, there is indeed a good chance that my diagnosis was caused by asbestos exposure. Because around that time back then I was working with my father putting asbestos sheets for insulation purposes up on the walls around our house. That was a rather common practice back then I vividly remember that over the course of a few years, I inhaled and ingested little chips of asbestos cement sheets as we trimmed and installed them.

What is asbestos?

Asbestos belongs to the group of naturally occurring minerals. It is made of very thin fibers. Asbestos is usually categorized in two groups, chrysotile and amphibole. It is then divided up further: the subgroups of amphiboles are tremolite, amosite, crocidolite and actinolite.

However, it is the chrysotile asbestos that found more and wider use in a brought spectrum of commercial applications. The material was mined and utilized since the late 1800s. But it was most heavily used between the 1940s and 1980s, because it was found to have some outstanding product properties that made it rather unique among similar minerals.
Those properties included:

- Resistance to fire
- Resistance to heat
- Outstanding resistance to chemicals
- Poor conductor of electricity

Where was asbestos used?

As we just learned, asbestos containing materials were extensively used up until the mid-1980s. But is asbestos still being used these days? The answer is yes, to some extent. The material was an ideal candidate to mix into cement, strengthen plastic products, insulation, roofing, tiling and anywhere where a sound-proofing played a major role. In addition to that, the automobile industry used it to manufacture brake liners and clutch plates. Further to that, it found widespread use in the ship-building industry for steam, boiler and hot-water pipes insulation.

Lastly, asbestos found its way into many households in the form of adhesives, paints, ceiling and flooring tiles. What are the health issues associated with asbestos exposure? Studies indicated that prolonged asbestos exposure can cause a variety of severe and even fatal health problems.

Here are the three most commonly diseases associated with exposure to asbestos:

Asbestosis: This condition is defined by excess accumulation of asbestos particles in the lungs which ultimately leads to fibrosis and lung scarring.

Mesothelioma: This is a rare form of cancer which originates in the so called mesothelium, a thin and protective lining that embeds the lungs and a number of other internal organs.

Lung Cancer: This malignant disease is one of the leading causes of deaths related to exposure to asbestos.

Occupational exposure to asbestos ranks number one among all causes for asbestos induced diseases.

What are the usual asbestos exposure symptoms?

The symptoms of asbestos exposure are often deceiving as they typically resemble the signs of other, less sever conditions. Here is a list with the most commonly cited symptoms of asbestos exposure:

- Difficulty in breathing

- Pain while breathing

- Shortness of breath

- Persistent dry coughing

Between the exposure to asbestos and the development of related symptoms, many years or even decades may pass. If you experience any of the aforementioned signs, even if you rules out asbestos exposure as a probable cause, you should definitely seek medical attention as soon as possible.

I did not encounter any of those symptoms; however, I did have to deal with discomfort in the abdomen. One day while working out, I had to go to the bathroom urgently and I was shocked when I saw the blood in my urine. I literally urinated blood with clots in it. After that, I made an appointment with an Urologist who then sent me to get a CAT-Scan, which a few weeks later confirmed my kidney cancer. Again, I will never find out what it was caused by, but I must consider asbestos exposure as a potential reason.