Mesothelioma, Causes

is the most common cause. Up to nine out of ten cases of mesothelioma are caused by exposure to asbestos. Asbestos is a natural mineral, extracted from rock found in many countries. It is made up of tiny fibers that are as strong as steel but can be woven like cotton and is very resistant to heat and chemicals.
During the 1960s the first definite link between mesothelioma and asbestos was made. In the past, asbestos was imported into Britain in large quantities. It has been used in construction, shipbuilding and home appliances. Asbestos was very widely used in insulation materials, such as amosite insulation board, and building materials, including asbestos cement.
When asbestos is disturbed or damaged, it releases small fibers that can be breathed into the lungs. Asbestos fibers are very fine and when breathed in they can make their way in at least the airways of the lungs, so that they can not be breathed or coughed up. After the fiber is found in the lungs, a defense mechanism tries to break them down and remove them, which leads to inflammation in the lung tissue.
Asbestos fibers can also penetrate the lung tissue to settle in the pleura (the membrane surrounding the lungs). For many years they can cause mesothelioma or other lung disease to develop.
Asbestos fibers also can be swallowed, and some of the fiber can be placed in the gastrointestinal tract. Then you can move the membrane that lines the abdomen (), where they cause inflammation.
People most likely to have been exposed to asbestos include:

• construction workers
• plumbers
• electricians
• Boilermakers
• shipbuilders
• Demolition workers
• People who have worked in other places where asbestos was present and
• People who lived near asbestos factories.

Family members of people who worked with asbestos and brought the dust home on their clothes have also sometimes developed mesothelioma.
There are three types of asbestos: white, brown and white. Blue and brown asbestos are the types most commonly associated with mesothelioma. They are now very rarely used and can not be imported into the UK. Originally, white asbestos is thought not to be dangerous, but recent studies now show that it is also harmful.
In 1980, imports of blue and brown asbestos in the UK were stopped, and in 1999 the importation and use of asbestos was banned. However, as mesothelioma develops so slowly, it is estimated that by 2015 around 3000 people will be diagnosed with mesothelioma every godine.Broj people who develop mesothelioma will then begin to decrease every year.
Mesothelioma does not usually develop until many years after exposure to asbestos. It can take any one time 10-60 years, although the average is about 30-40 years after asbestos exposure.
Occasionally, mesothelioma develops in people who have never been exposed azbestu.Drugih causes of disease are not fully understood, but in rare cases, the development of mesothelioma associated with exposure.
The study did not find any evidence that smoking increases the risk of developing mesothelioma. It is also thought that exposure to other construction materials such as fiberglass does not increase risk.
Mesothelioma is not contagious and can not be transferred to another person. It is not caused by inherited faulty genes and so family members do not have an increased risk of its development, unless they have been in contact with asbestos.