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Mesothelioma is a serious disease, and 99% of all cases are attributable to exposure to asbestos. It’s a disease that can remain dormant for as long as 20 to 50 years before it starts taking its devastating toll on a person’s health and life. Although the cancer may show up in less than 20 years in some cases, most people don’t develop any symptoms until somewhere around 35 years after exposure. Early symptoms may not ring any bells, either, because they may be as basic as general pain in the chest or back. Therefore, anyone who ever worked in an environment where there were asbestos fibers needs to be on guard for the rest of their lives.

Mesothelioma causes cancer to develop in the lining that surrounds the lungs as well as inside the ribcage and around abdominal organs. The longer a person was exposed to asbestos, the better the chance that he or she will develop Mesothelioma somewhere down the line. However, there have also been cases diagnosed that were caused by limited asbestos exposure and even household exposure. It may be that you had a summer job in construction years ago. You could have been exposed then. A lot of people who were in the Navy prior to the ’70s have come down with Mesothelioma, too.

Prior to the 1970s asbestos was widely-used in many different applications. Once the reports of the health risks involved in its use started to be made public, this use of asbestos was curtailed. Before that time, however, almost every type of insulation contained asbestos, such as that used to insulate pipes, do fire-proofing, and in boilers. Types of plasters, cements, and joint compounds that came in powdered form and were intended to insulate were also full of asbestos. Since the powders caused a lot of dust, employees who breathed the air while using them were particularly vulnerable to asbestos exposure.

If you worked in one of the following fields prior to the mid 1970s, then you may be at risk for Mesothelioma: * The manufacture or installation of insulation products * Steel refineries and other industries which included the use of steel * Fabricators of brake and clutch shoes * Paper mill employees * Maintenance workers * Boilermakers * Those doing electrical or carpentry work and brick masons * Shipyard workers

Even if you did work in any of these occupations, that’s not a sure sign you’re going to come down with Mesothelioma. However, it does put you at a higher risk, and you should let your physician know that you were exposed. He may recommend that you take some tests in order to determine if the asbestos is having any effect on you. He may want to do a complete physical, have x-rays taken of your chest and abdomen, and ask you to take pulmonary function tests. In some cases CT scans or MRIs are advisable. All of this testing may well find no evidence of Mesothelioma, but at least you’ll know for sure which can be a relief.

If you should happen to be diagnosed with Mesothelioma sometime in the future, you’ll want to hire a lawyer who specializes in this type of litigation to file a claim against your employer. You may be eligible for restitution if it can be proven that your employer was in any way negligent in providing you with information or safety equipment that could have prevented your illness.

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