Month: May 2015
EWG Analysis: Asbestos Kills 12,000-15,000 Americans per Year
A new analysis by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) finds that asbestos kills significantly more Americans each year than previously estimated—and the actual asbestos death toll may be much higher.
Using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) database, EWG calculated that from 1993 to 2013, 189,000 to 221,000 people (12,000 to 15,000 per year) died from mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis in the United States.
EWG says that public records of U.S. asbestos-related deaths are imprecise, however, and that their estimate is conservative.
“As shocking as these figures are, they may be too low,” said epidemiologist and former assistant Surgeon General Dr. Richard Lemen in a press release from EWG Action Fund.
http://www.prweb.com/recentnews
“The report did not estimate deaths from the other-asbestos-related diseases. Furthermore, some studies suggest even higher lung cancer rates in asbestos-exposed workers,” said Lemen.
According to EWG, 39,870 American died from mesothelioma, an incurable cancer caused exclusively by asbestos exposure, from 1999 to 2013. Over the same period, EWG estimates that 20,317 Americans died from asbestosis, a type of lung scarring caused by asbestos fibers, while as many as 159,480 died from asbestos-related lung cancer.
In addition to deaths from these causes, it is believed that asbestos exposure can also cause cancers of the larynx, pharynx, stomach, colon, ovaries, and rectum. An older study by EWG that includes asbestos-related gastrointestinal cancer puts the number of annual U.S. asbestos deaths at around 10,000.
U.S. asbestos use peaked in the 1970s and the carcinogenic mineral fiber is no longer mined in this country, but it continues to be imported and used in a wide range of products. An EWG analysis of U.S. port records indicates that at least 8 million pounds of raw asbestos have arrived here since 2006.
EWG’s figures indicate that there was no apparent decline in asbestos deaths from 1999 to 2013. There were 2,481 mesothelioma deaths in 1999 compared to 2,686 in 2013 and a high of 2,874 in 2012. Asbestosis deaths were virtually identical in 1999 and 2013 (1,258 vs. 1,229). Both EWG’s lower and higher estimate of lung cancer deaths show increases from 1999 to 2013.
This can be attributed to the long latency period of many asbestos diseases. Mesothelioma, for example, can take 15-50 years or more to develop from the time of initial asbestos exposure.
Given the lag between asbestos exposure and disease onset, asbestos disease rates will likely remain high for years to come. One expert estimates that within the next three decades 300,000 Americans will die from asbestos.
“The only way to see the numbers of asbestos-related fatalities significantly decline among Americans is for our elected leaders to adopt an outright ban on the deadly substance,” said Sonya Lunder, author of the EWG report, “Asbestos kills 12,000-15,000 people per year in the U.S.”
Mesothelioma Is One Cause of Night Sweats
Mesothelioma patients sometimes complain about night sweats. It can be one of the symptoms that brings them to the doctors. Night sweats can be a harmless, annoying, situation, or a symptom of a serious health issue.
Night sweats are defined as drenching sweats that require the patient to change bedclothes. Doctors refer to true night sweats as severe hot flashes occurring at night that are not related to an overheated environment. Night sweats have various known causes.
Some of the conditions responsible for night sweats include:
- Cancer. Night sweats can be an early symptom of some cancers especially lymphoma. When it is cancer, night sweats are not usually the only symptom, other symptoms could be fever and unexplained weight loss.
- Hypoglycemia or low blood sugar. Patients taking insulin or oral anti-diabetic medications may experience nighttime hypoglycemia accompanied by sweating.
- Idiopathic hyperhidrosis. A condition characterized by excessive sweat production with no obvious medical explanation.
- Infections. Tuberculosis is the infection most notoriously associated with night sweats. Bacterial infections, such as endocarditis, (inflammation of the heart valves), osteomyelitis, (inflammation within the bone), and abscesses located in the appendix and tonsils, and HIV infection are other potential causes for night sweats.
- Medications. Antidepressants are one type of medication that can lead to night sweats.
- Menopause and peri-menopause. A very common cause of night sweats in women. Also caused by hormonal changes that occur in adolescence and pregnancy.
If you go to a doctor with night sweats as a concern, there are numerous questions you will be asked. In addition, you will more than likely undergo blood work. Along with blood work, your doctor may order a chest x-ray and a thyroid stimulating hormone test.
Evaluating and determining the cause for night sweats can be difficult, to say the least. If the first round of tests come back negative, your doctor may consider CT scans of your chest and abdomen, and possibly a bone marrow biopsy.
If you were exposed to asbestos in the past, make sure to let your doctor know. While night sweats, as you see, can be caused by many issues, an asbestos-related disease could be an underlying cause.
If you have any questions about any aspect of your mesothelioma care, please email me at [email protected].
Grieving the Loss of a Loved One to Mesothelioma
If you ask anyone close to me, they will tell you that I don’t like being forced into things. The harder I’m pushed to do something that I don’t want to do, the less likely I am to cooperate. It’s a character flaw, I know, but it’s the truth about me. I don’t like to feel as though someone is manipulating my feelings; in particular, how I should feel about my Dad’s passing.
Many people have said to me, “Your father has been gone for a while now, it’s time to get over it.” They shake their head and say, “It’s really time to move on.” I honestly don’t have a response to these comments. Those saying these things didn’t go through my pain. How can someone be so insensitive to my loss? Everyone goes through this pain differently, and these statements may be motivating to some people, but to me, they are almost insulting. Don’t be ashamed to grieve.
Loss is an individual event. An entire family can lose the same person but each one will process that loss in a different way. Some may be open, wanting to constantly discuss every detail of what happened, attempting to comprehend each nuance. Others might shut down and not want to talk about it. Some people might crave human interaction and want a house full of people; others may prefer to be alone.
When I lost my Dad, I wanted to be around people. Hearing stories and seeing family members and friends rally around us was comforting to me. Even though I had a hard time returning phone calls and emails, knowing that people cared was cathartic for me. It was when those messages stopped coming that it became really difficult.
Since Dad died, a lot of people we know have lost parents. I hate that I know how they feel, but do I really? I lost my Dad, I didn’t lose theirs. I know the relationship I had with my Dad, I don’t know anyone else’s. Although the premise of the loss is the same, each instance is completely different.
Pray for all those who grieve. They need direction, serenity, and peace. Pray to be helpful to them and for guidance to be a supportive friend. The pain of losing someone you love never goes away, the feeling may change over time, but you will never forget them.
Proposed Legislation Would Allow Veteran Access to Non-VA Centers for Specialty Care
Veterans with mesothelioma who receive health benefits through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) are free to receive health care at any VA facility nationwide, providing them with access to mesothelioma specialty services that aren’t available at their local VA hospital.
But this can involve lengthy travel and time spent away from home, conditions that are far from comfortable for patients with painful and incurable cancer.
Fortunately, a rule change to the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 (Choice Act) could allow veterans to seek mesothelioma care outside of the VA network and closer to home.
The Choice Act was President Obama’s and Congress’s response to a scandal that broke last year over long wait time and systemic mismanagement within the VA health system. One of its major provisions is the Veterans Choice Program, which provides veterans access to private health care facilities if they cannot receive an appointment with the VA within 30 days or live more than 40 miles from a VA health facility.
As it was originally worded, the Choice Program allowed veterans access to private (non-VA) local health care if they lived more than 40 miles from a VA health facility “as the crow flies.” A rule change in April changed the mile requirement from a straight line measure to actual driving distance, an update that VA Secretary Bob McDonald said, “will allow more veterans to access care when and where they want it.”
But some critics say that the Choice Program still doesn’t go far enough because it fails to account for veterans who live within 40 miles of a VA facility but need care beyond what that facility offers.
For example, the MilitaryTimes cites the case of Mark Gendron, an Air Force veteran who lives within 40 miles of a VA clinic with basic services, but not the specialty psychiatric services he needs for his post-traumatic stress disorder. Gendron lives 70 miles from the nearest VA psychiatrist and isn’t eligible to be seen by a non-VA specialist due to his proximity to a VA clinic.
“I just want the care I need,” Gendron told MilitaryTimes. “I shouldn’t have to deal with this.”
A similar situation exists for mesothelioma patients. There are only a handful of VA centers nationwide with the expertise needed to treat veterans suffering from mesothelioma and other asbestos diseases. Research suggests mesothelioma patients have better outcomes at facilities with greater expertise in treating the rare cancer. Even hospitals with excellent oncology programs may not be well-suited to treat mesothelioma, a cancer that disproportionately affects Navy and other veterans, who make up around 30 percent of all cases.
If pending Congressional legislation becomes law, however, patients who live farther than 40 miles from a mesothelioma clinic may be able see a mesothelioma specialist closer to home.
According to The Hill, companion bills authored by Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) address the plight of veterans who don’t live close to a VA facility that offers the care they need.
“Our legislation calls on the VA to use its authority to provide veterans access to non-VA health care when the nearest VA medical facility within 40 miles drive time from a veteran’s home does not offer the care sought by the veteran,” write the congressmen in an op-ed.
The full text of the House and Senate bills can be read here and here.
For more information on the Veterans Choice Program, visit the VA website.
https://www.va.gov/opa/choiceact/
Sources”
- MilitaryTimes
https://www.militarytimes.com/story/military/benefits/veterans/2015/04/24/veterans-choice-40-miles/26295537/ - op-ed
https://thehill.com/opinion/op-ed/241458-va-choice-program-must-work-better-for-our-veterans - better outcomes
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/codi.12975/abstract
Alarming, Yet Uplifting Information in PBS Cancer Documentary
History has taught us many lessons. Studying the past can help us progress, and can prevent us from repeating mistakes. Recently on PBS, there was an excellent history and status report on cancer: ‘Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies,’ written by oncologist Siddhartha Mukherjee and produced by Ken Burns. Mukherjee’s reasons for writing the book was because he was confused on where we are now versus where we have been in the treatment of cancer. How could we talk about the future, if we don’t know the past?
Cancer has been recognized as a disease for centuries. Part of that time it was thought that nothing could be done to treat it, and there was no cure for it. Cancer was thought of as a disease with “too much humors,” balance of the body was out of synch.
During this three-part documentary, many fascinating ideas were explored, and future directions were explained in a way that could be understood by all of us. The fact that more people will die from cancer in the next two years than from all the wars that have ever been fought, is a sobering reality.
The numbers alone are staggering:
- 1.7 million Americans are diagnosed with cancer each year;
- 1 in 2 men will have cancer in their lifetime;
- 1 in 3 women will have cancer in their lifetime;
- 600 thousand people die a year from cancer.
Although the numbers are frightening, the documentary was uplifting. To see where we have been, and how far we have come in cancer care today is amazing. To gain more insight into cancer and the progress being made, visit the PBS website to find out where you can watch the series.
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