Mesothelioma and Asbestos

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About Mesothelioma

Most asbestos-related conditions are thought to be ‘dose related’, that is to say the more exposure you have to asbestos dust and fibres the more likely it is that you will suffer ill affects in later years. Similarly, there appears to be a consensus in medical circles that cigarette smoking makes an individual more susceptible to the dangers of asbestos dust.

Neither of these factors apply to mesothelioma. Naturally the more exposure you have, the greater the chance that it may penetrate your body, but research indicates that mesothelioma can develop if just a single asbestos fibre enters the body and smoking history appears to play no part in its development.

Traditionally, it was assumed that mesothelioma cases were restricted to those in heavy industries, such as engineering or ship building and whilst we do still see cases from such professions lately, we have seen cases arising from unexpected sources. As mesothelioma can be caused by inhalation of just one single fibre, there have been cases reported from schoolteachers and those in other professions who have worked in buildings where asbestos was contained within the structure of the walls and even the act of pushing drawing pins into the wall was sufficient to release deadly fibres into the atmosphere.