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Saturday, November 13, 2010

Asbestos Conditions Receive Attention For Lung Cancer Awareness Month

by Katie Clayton


This November asbestos related diseases mesothelioma and asbestosis will receive public attention in a Lung Cancer Awareness Month. The National Lung Cancer Partnership will attempt to use the event to decrease deaths due to lung cancer and to help patients live longer through research, awareness and advocacy. Since 2005 the organisation has funded over $2 million in research for lung cancer projects.

Asbestos was widely used as a building material in the past due to its unique building properties such as fire resistance. Although its hazards were discovered by scientists in the 1930s the material was not regulated until the 1990s and not banned from used completely until 1999. By this time thousands of people had been in contact with asbestos and the damage was too late to reverse.

Scientists searching for a cure for pleural mesothelioma, a form of lung cancer that is almost always caused by asbestos exposure, are beneficiaries of some of these research dollars.

Symptoms often do not become present until after a long latency period of around 40-60 years after first exposure to asbestos. Patients suffer breathlessness, weight loss, fatigue, chest and back pain and jaundice (yellowing of the eyes and skin) when associated with the lungs and also abdominal swelling when affecting the peritoneum. In severe cases there is risk of lung collapse and tumour masses may start to spread to other parts of the body.

Treatments involve radio and chemotherapy, and though the survival rate for mesothelioma is typically low, some things can be done to ease the sufferer's life and enhance their time left. The UK currently sees around 2000 new diagnoses each year, though this may increase in the near future.

If you believe you have been exposed to asbestos in the past and are experiencing symptoms of breathlessness or chest pain it us advisable to seek medical advice. You have may have the right to claim compensation if you are diagnosed with an asbestos related condition. - 39969

About the Author:
With the expert help of an asbestos solicitor you could make a successful Asbestos claim and recieve the compensation you are entitled to.

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