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New Study Drops the Coffin Lid on Asbestos

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Reno, NVImplausible as it may seem, if there was ever any doubt as to the danger of asbestos exposure, that doubt has been put to rest with the release of a new study appearing in Occupational and Environmental Medicine. Asbestos mesothelioma is but one deadly result in an environment that carried a whopping 95 percent risk of developing asbestos cancer.

Textile FactoryIn the study, researchers dug into the records and medical histories of workers who toiled at 4 textile plants, located in North Carolina that produced various products using chrysotile asbestos—the most commonly-used form of asbestos in the industrial age.

In a study that can only be described as exhaustive 5,770 workers were scrutinized over a 23-year period beginning with 1950 and ending with 1973.

The results are stunning. Slightly less than half of all the workers died during the study period. Of the more than 2500 workers who died prior to 1973, 277 of those workers succumbed to lung cancer—and the rate of lung cancer was an incredible 95 percent higher for the plant workers than that of the general population.

The risk for mesothelioma was also a lot higher. If the forgoing didn't stalk and catch the unsuspecting workers, there were plenty other risk factors associated with asbestos exposure. Among them, cancers of the larynx and rectum, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and multiple myeloma.

It has long been held that the risk of asbestos cancer increases with the length of asbestos exposure over time. This study bears that out, finding that those workers who had been employed at the textile plant for 20 years or longer faced the highest risk for lung cancer.

As noted in previous studies as well as case histories, the risk of asbestos cancer was higher in association with elapsed time since asbestos exposure, given the view that it often takes decades for various asbestos cancer symptoms, including asbestos mesothelioma to appear.

What is significant about this study is the confidence researchers project with regard to the findings. This is telling because past studies, while never suggesting that asbestos doesn't cause cancer, nonetheless raised some questions with regard to the risks associated with different forms of asbestos. Amosite and crocidolite, for example are two lesser-used derivatives of asbestos while chrysotile is the most commonly used.

Previous research did not achieve a clear link between chrysotile asbestos and mesothelioma, according to Dana Loomis, PhD, Professor in the School of Community Health Sciences at the University of Nevada and the lead author of the current study.

This study leaves little doubt that chrysotile asbestos is a killer. "Our findings support the conclusion that chrysotile is carcinogenic to humans and that it should continue to be regulated like other forms of asbestos," Dr. Loomis says. "The data do not provide any support for proposals that chrysotile is safe for wider use. This conclusion is especially relevant for developing countries where strong regulations on asbestos have not been established."

The current study was able to prove, beyond any doubt the link between chrysotile asbestos fibers and mesothelioma, together with lung cancer thanks to the access researchers had to large numbers of exposed workers, plant exposure data and medicinal histories.

While asbestos has been banned outright in several countries around the world, the US is yet to take that final step. While asbestos is no longer used in the manufacture of most products, it is still common in certain industrial sectors, including the manufacture of brake linings and other automotive parts. Various times in recent history bills have floated through congress attempting a total ban on asbestos, but have always failed due to a still-strong pro-asbestos lobby.

The study could prove crucial to policy decisions currently underway with regard to the deregulation of chrysotile asbestos.

Even with the use of asbestos in manufacturing on the decline, it's still out there—in the walls, above the ceilings and wrapped around the pipes of countless buildings. When asbestos removal is required, workers together with the greater public need to be protected from floating asbestos fibers.

In summary, the risk is still a concern and the science confirming that risk has never been more dramatic, or conclusive. That's where the legal system and your opportunity for potential compensation come in. If you, or a loved one have been touched by asbestos cancer or asbestos mesothelioma stemming from asbestos exposure—even going back decades—get in touch with an asbestos attorney right away.

You may have little time to lose.

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READER COMMENTS

Posted by

on
i worked at hooker chem in nia.falls from 70 -76 and was in complete exposuer to raw asbestos and used asbestos;we had chlorine cells which were made with asbestos;we rebuilt them which required complete exposure to it;washing and rebuilding;we had a warehouse full of asbestos that we would sleep in or have lunch while enjoying the softness of the asbestos?who knew it was no good ?now i have multi myloma??no cancer like this in my family?except my dad who died from cancer;after many years at hooker;working on the same thing that gave me mine;thanks armand hammer

Posted by

on
My dad has multiple meyloma , he worked and owned a service station back in the 50s and 60s ,He did a large amount of brake jobs which from what I understand used to be made from asbestos , they routinely used compressed air to blow out the brake drums before installing new brake shoes.... just makes me wonder if there is a connection

Posted by

on
I have multiple myeloma. I lived @ 200 yards next to Spaulding Fiber Corp in Tonawanda NY. They made products with asbestos. This was @ 1961 to 1968. In 1968 we moved 2.5 blocks east of there. I lived there until 1971 then left the area and went in the AirForce. Prior to clean air act (1968)pollution from their smokestacks would some times seem like a thick fog over the area. A discharge pipe used to dump a nasty colored and smelly discharge in the Niagara river a few blocks down.
As a kid I frequently (near daily) played in the nearby fields. I ate wild strawberries found there as well as apples and pears. I fell in white mud. I swam in the river(after discharge stopped) downstream from there.

The plant is gone, the main field fenced off with hazardous area warning signs. The area around the old plant (torn down some time ago)still has an odor I recognize.
Coincidence I have multiple myeloma? Coincidence a neighbor of my Dad has multiple myeloma...she's my age and lives in house she grew up in which is even more in line with prevailing winds and the old smoke stacks.

Posted by

on
My husband has monoclonal gammopathy, which I understand can turn into multiple myeloma, also recently diagnosed with asbestosis. He was in the Navy and his job was in the boiler room and fire room. Dealing with asbestos. He has had prostate cancer too. We have filed a claim with VA for benefits. We are looking to see what else is available out there. He is on oxygen at the time and also developed a blood clot in his lung. Was told his asbestosis could turn into cancer. I have information on mesothelioma, what sort of other benefits are out there?

Posted by

on
I was with the military. One of my duties was to mix and then apply asbestos to the pipes in our ships boiler room. This was a daily routine that lasted for months. I have been diagnosed with and have been taking treatments for multiple myeloma. I have been told that there is a connection between my exposure to asbestos and my cancer. Most importantly is that my ability to pay for my treatment is running out,p. I was hoping someone may have more information on the connection between the two, and I could use that to help increase my VA benefits so I could extend my treatments and continue to enjoy my life with my family, if treatments stop my window is 3-4 months. I have so much more to give back to this world 3 months is not enough time.

God Bless and I hope to hear from someone

Joe

Posted by

on
I worked 10 years in the County Home called Cedarbrook Nursing Home,6 of them were in the A Wing that had Asbestos on all three floors in the ceiling tiles,the floors,walls and the roofingand the morgue part

I have Multiple Myeloma and I cannot find anybody that will help me.We would hang decorations between the large ceiling tiles with paper clips and string every holiday or some special day,Lots of times I had dust fall in my face,I had cancer in my right nostril.
Why does all the things I read,it doesn't mention that I have Multiple Myeloma (Bone Marrow Cancer) and it was caused by the Asbestos I was exposed to.
There wer 9 other employees that died from different types of cancer.Please will someone help me .I have suffered for 17 years ,I was in remission for four years but it came back.Sure,I know you will say It's too long ago.If I had been told the real truth,maybe I would not have suffered so much and my friends would not have died.Then I ask what caused their cancer?
I had writen one of the County Comissioners and told him about the Asbestos,The response I received was completely disregarding what I had told him.I wish i would have kept his e.mail.

Posted by

on
My mother died from multiple myeloma. She worked in a asbestos laden building.

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