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| What
can be done to prevent the disease? Since the 1970s, the Environmental
Protection Agency and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration
have regulated the asbestos industry in the U.S. In the past, asbestos was
used as a fire retardant and an insulator. Other products are now used in
its place. The controversy involving exposure to different forms of
asbestos continues.
There are two major types of asbestos called chrysotile and amphibole. It is thought that the amphibole form of asbestos is to blame for causing mesothelioma. However, asbestos is still being removed even if it is the chrysotile variety. Removal is taking place in schools and other public buildings throughout the U.S. The hope is that these measures will greatly reduce the occurrence of this cancer. What are the long-term effects of the disease? A mesothelioma is a highly aggressive tumor that is generally deadly. Current treatment of malignant mesothelioma is designed to make the person with cancer comfortable. Long-term survival cannot usually be expected. What are the risks to others? Mesothelioma is not contagious and cannot be passed from one person to another. The exposure to the asbestos that caused the cancer occurred many years to several decades before the disease appeared. People who live with asbestos workers have a higher risk of getting this cancer. Legal issues The first lawsuits against asbestos manufacturers were in 1929. Since then, many lawsuits have been filed against asbestos manufacturers and employers, for neglecting to implement safety measures after the link between asbestos, asbestosis and mesothelioma became known (some reports seem to place this as early as 1898). The liability resulting from the sheer number of lawsuits and people affected has reached billions of dollars. The amounts and method of allocating compensation have been the source of many court cases, and government attempts at resolution of existing and future cases. |
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