What Are the Risk Factors for Mesothelioma?
Mesothelioma is a cancer that anyone can get. It does not discriminate in that it affects all races, genders, and ages. While anyone can get it, doctors and scientists have isolated a primary risk factor for the disease through the years. That risk factor is exposure to a thing called Asbestos. Repeated exposures over long periods significantly increase one’s risk of developing Mesothelioma.
What Is Asbestos and Where Can it Be Found?
Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that is composed of long thin fibers that, when inhaled or swallowed, can be shown to affect mesothelioma and its types of cancers directly. Â Asbestos and the fibers that make up Asbestos can be described as Amphibole or Serpentine. Both types are strongly linked to mesothelioma and the cancers associated with it.
In the last century, Asbestos began to be utilized and manufactured into several products to benefit our modern lives.
Manufactured Asbestos was used in many common products people have been exposed to. Some examples include construction workers exposed to asbestos pipes and insulation, electricians exposed while repairing electrical panels and other equipment, and auto mechanics exposed when changing brakes and clutches. Do-it-yourselfers who perform repairs on older homes and home auto mechanics handling aftermarket brake pads and clutch linings are also at risk of asbestos exposure.
Many studies have shown that Asbestos is the key component in causing Mesothelioma. We do not know the amount of exposure an individual must experience to cause Mesothelioma.
Still, we do know that people diagnosed with the disease have been exposed to Asbestos in the past.
Another risk factor for Mesothelioma can include persons who have received high doses of radiation while being treated for other malignant cancers, such as lymphomas in the chest. While this is rare, it has also not been conclusive that the link is exposure to Asbestos. It has also been shown that some people may have increased risk due to specific genetic mutations. These mutations may make someone more susceptible to developing mesothelioma and its types of cancers after exposure to the mineral fibers of Asbestos. Specifically, this has been linked to mesothelioma of the eyes.
Call Our Legal Team at Charles Boyk Law Today
If you have been diagnosed with Mesothelioma and believe you may have been exposed to Asbestos, call our Attorneys at Charles Boyk. We can look at and evaluate whether your exposure to Asbestos through some product may be the cause of your Mesothelioma. Please call our team at Charles Boyk today.
