History of Asbestos and Mesothelioma

Asbestos has been used since ancient times. It was utilized expansively in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as modern industry drove the economies of Western Europe and the United States. The first reported death caused by asbestos exposure was reported in medical paper back in 1924. One of the illnesses connected with asbestos exposure is mesothelioma. This type of cancerous condition was known as a tumor of the pleura, peritoneum and pericardium in the late 1700's. On the other hand it was not until 1960 when this certain kind of tumor was illustrated in more specific terms and even more significantly. Malignant mesothelioma is an uncommon disease, but no longer an unusual cancer that is complicated to diagnose and unsuccessfully receptive to a number of remedies. The malignant (cancerous) cells are found in the mesothelium, a protective sac that covers most of the body's internal organs such as the sac lining of the chest (the pleura) or the abdomen (the peritoneum).This is considered as the most serious of all asbestos-related diseases. The majority of people who suffered from this illness usually have a history of jobs that exposed them to the hazards of asbestos, which was largely produced in manufacturing sites as an insulation substance.

What is the mesothelium?

The mesothelium is membrane that covers and guards most of the internal organs of the body. It is composed of two layers of cells: One layer immediately surrounds the organ; the other forms a sac around it. The mesothelium produces a lubricating fluid that is released between these layers, allowing moving organs to glide easily against adjacent structures.
In the chest and abdominal cavities, as well as in the cavity around the heart (pericardial sac), there is a layer of specialized cells called mesothelial cells. These cells also surround the outer surface of most internal organs. These cells form the tissue called mesothelium.

What is mesothelioma?

Mesothelioma which is also known as the cancer of the mesothelium is a disease in which cells of the mesothelium become abnormal and splits with no control or order. This type of cancer attacks and damages the nearby tissues and organs. Cancer cells can also spread to other parts of the body. Most cases of this kind of malignancy begin in the pleura or peritoneum. Peritoneum is the mesothelial tissue that covers most of the organs in the abdominal cavity while the pleura are the membrane that surrounds the lungs and lines the wall of the chest cavity.
According to statistics, over 2,000 new cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed in the United States each year. This sort of ailment takes place more often in men than in women. The risk of getting diagnosed with this disease increases as a person gets older as the overall health condition of a patient is typically already impaired to some extent.