Doctors usually perform an initial physical exam on patients they suspect may have the relatively rare form of cancer known as mesothelioma. It affects the mesothelium, the protective lining that covers many of the body’s internal organs, and is usually caused by exposure to asbestos.
If symptoms or the results of the exam suggest a patient has mesothelioma, further tests will be necessary to make sure. According to the American Cancer ...
continue reading...According to the American Cancer Society, it can be a challenge for doctors to detect mesothelioma — a relatively rare cancer affecting the mesothelium, which is the protective lining that covers many of the internal organs of the body.
There are no widely recommended screening tests, but exposure to asbestos is the primary cause, and some doctors recommend imaging tests for people who may be at risk. Those tests include chest ...
continue reading...State and federal health regulators are warning New Jersey residents rebuilding after Hurricane Sandy to watch out for hidden health hazards, including asbestos.
A story in the Newark Star Ledger says panelists raised those concerns at a forum for New Jersey residents. Participants included representatives of the New Jersey Work Environment Council, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
The report quotes Judith Enck, regional administrator ...
continue reading...A study has found that three types of cancer spiked among first responders at the scene of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, but there was no overall increase in cancer among people exposed to debris at Ground Zero in Manhattan.
A story in the New York Daily News notes that six months ago, the federal government agreed to add 50 types of cancer to the illnesses eligible for compensation from a $4.3 ...
continue reading...A report in the Philadelphia Inquirer says University of Pennsylvania researchers are using a $1.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to create an exhibit about asbestos manufacturing in Ambler, Pa.
The story says Ambler was a company town in the 1880s, dedicated primarily to producing asbestos. At the time, it was considered a viable industry, and it paid off for the residents in terms of affordable housing, a ...
continue reading...Asbestos-contaminated wreckage that Hurricane Sandy left behind may represent a public health hazard, according to a story in the Huffington Post.
The story says Sandy left wind and water damage along much of the East Coast. That wreckage includes roofing, pipes and insulation, all of which could contain microscopic asbestos fibers.
Of all the potential environmental toxins left in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, asbestos is among the most worrisome. Microscopic asbestos ...
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