Asbestos and Mesothelioma

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on December 18, 2018

Mesothelioma is one of the most debilitating and fatal forms of cancer that doctors have yet encountered. Every year, hundreds of people are diagnosed with this fatal cell mutation, and the traumatic effects that this carries over to the families and loved ones of those affected is hard to overstate.

In any mesothelioma case, the victims and their loved ones find themselves asking the same question: what caused this to happen? Although a tremendous amount of research has been put into answering this question, it is somewhat difficult to find a concrete answer. Possibly, this is due to the fact that as we go through our lives we continually encounter chemicals, many of them toxic, in the air around us. Some of these chemicals and substances move through and out of our bodies, but some collect around our cells, resulting in the potential for tumorous growths. It makes pinpointing the exact genesis of any specific disease difficult, in the same way it is hard to locate the exact point one contracted a cold.

That being said, numerous studies exist that suggest mesothelioma is not a random occurrence and that there are, in fact, specific environmental factors that exponentially increase the chance for an individual to contract the deadly condition. While the validity of some of these studies is challenged, it is worth noting that the challenges come from large companies who possess a stake in ensuring that the American public remains ignorant about root causes of mesothelioma.

According to The American Cancer Society, malignant mesothelioma is most often the direct result of an individual’s exposure to asbestos. Asbestos, a material that was once extremely common in the construction industry, exists in many old buildings and homes. Whether due to the natural degrading process of time or because of human interference via demolition, it is frequently the case that asbestos in buildings is broken or destroyed, releasing microscopic fibers into the air that are difficult to filter before they make their way into the lungs of people in the area.

Once inside the lungs, these fibers make their ways to the pleura – a membranous substance that coats the lungs – and fix themselves to it. It is through this that the possibility of DNA destruction, followed by inflammation and abnormal cell growth, begins.

Sources:

• What Causes Malignant Mesothelioma?

James O. Cunningham

Since 1977, personal injury lawyer James Cunningham has provided effective legal advocacy to people who are injured through the negligent actions of another person or entity throughout the Central Florida area. He fights to obtain recoveries for his clients’ physical and emotional pain and suffering and pursues his clients’ personal injury cases with a commitment to excellence and impeccable preparation.