Asbestos Lung Disease
Asbestos lung disease is also known as mesothelioma, and is a relatively rare cancer which has no reliable cure currently.
As the name suggests, the main cause is exposure to asbestos. This exposure can be either direct when working with asbestos in some way, or indirect such as when washing the clothes of someone who works with it. The amount and length of exposure does not correlate at all well with the likelihood of contracting mesothelioma, and screening processes are not reliable enough to be standard yet, although can help to some degree. Progress with mesothelioma is being made all the time, such as the discovery of a new marker only recently.
The disease most commonly affects the lungs, but can also affect other parts of the body such as the abdominal cavity. The obvious symptoms are all also symptoms of other less dangerous conditions, making the disease very difficult to diagnose until the late stages. It is for this reason that most people die within about 18 months of knowing they have mesothelioma, not because it is so fast-moving, but because they are likely to only get a reliable diagnosis at that late stage.
Treatment includes chemo, radiation, surgery and immunotherapy, and is typically more effective in combination. New treatments are usually available through clinical trials of various kinds. While treatment can prolong the life of a patient, there is no reliable cure at this point in time.
Due to the disease being so strongly connected with asbestos, and the official information being available on that connection, legal action is common for patients, as they can usually claim against an employer who is considered responsible for not having taken precautions to prevent the disease. Claims can include expenses such as travel, care (whether paid for or not) as well as for the disease itself, and are sometimes considerable. Legal help is usually available on a “no win no fee” basis.
Asbestos lung disease is still occurring in the western world even though the substance has been banned, because symptoms can occur decades after exposure and also because old buildings and other uses of the substance can still be in use today. The problem is not even being acknowledged in many parts of the developing world, although some degree of progress is being made, for example the ship-breaking yard in India legally refusing to handle ships with large amounts of asbestos.
For more info see Asbestos Poisoning
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