Category: Featured News
Senators Introduce Legislation That Calls For U.S. Asbestos Ban
Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Edward Markey (D-MA) have introduced a bill that would strengthen the country’s chemical protection laws and specifically ban asbestos use.
The Boxer-Markey bill, called the Alan Reinstein and Trevor Schaefer Toxic Chemicals Protection Act, aims to reform the 1976 Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA). According to a U.S. Senate press release, the bill’s key provisions include a requirement that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) act quickly to consider a ban on asbestos. Asbestos remains legal in the United States despite being a significant cause of occupational death. The bill also maintains states’ rights to protect people from dangerous toxic chemicals.
A report from The Hill says that the Boxer-Markey bill is an alternative to the bipartisan chemical reform bill introduced earlier in the week by Sens. Tom Udall (D-NM) and David Vitter (R-LA). That bill does not address the issues of states’ rights or an asbestos ban. Environmentalists, consumer advocates and Sens. Boxer and Markey claim that the Udall-Vitter bill was influenced by the chemical industry.
The namesakes of the Boxer-Markey legislation, Alan Reinstein and Trevor Schaefer, are both cancer victims. Alan Reinstein died from the asbestos-related cancer mesothelioma in 2006. He was the husband of Linda Reinstein, co-founder of the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO). Ms. Reinstein criticized the Vitter-Udall bill in an ADAO press release for not addressing asbestos, a human carcinogen that, according to the ADAO, claims 10,000 American lives and 107,000 lives worldwide each year.
Ms. Reinstein said she applauds Sens. Boxer and Markey for their leadership in taking steps to eliminate exposure to asbestos, the cause of the most occupational deaths in history.
Despite Dangers, Asbestos Remains Legal in U.S.
It has been known for decades that asbestos poses a danger to human health. A 1989 EPA-issued final rule to the Toxic Substances Control Act banned most asbestos-containing products, but this rule was overturned in 1991 by an appeals court.
The asbestos industry lobbied aggressively to overturn the ban and today it is still legal to manufacture, import, process and distribute a wide range of asbestos products, including cement, clothing, flooring and roofing products, vinyl floor tile and automotive components.
Not all asbestos products are legal, however. Regulations passed in the 1970s outlawed products such as insulation, patching compounds and artificial fireplace embers.
Asbestos has not been mined in the United States since 2002, but the mineral fiber is still imported on a large scale. United States Geological Society documents show that in 2013, the U.S. imported 870 metric tons of asbestos.
The chloralkali industry—an element of the chemical industry—accounts for two-thirds of U.S. asbestos consumption.
Know more about Mesothelioma and how you can deal with it.
Sources
- U.S. Senate press release
http://www.epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressRoom.PressReleases&ContentRecord_id=9351d8b8-fcb8-e5c8-70b0-dd77260efd45 - United States Geological Society documents
http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/asbestos/mcs-2014-asbes.pdf - ADAO press release
http://www.asbestosdiseaseawareness.org/archives/31896 - The Hill
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/235504-boxer-introduces-her-own-chemical-reform-legislation
UK Mesothelioma Community Reeling After Veto of Saatchi Bill
Less than a year ago, mesothelioma patients and other rare disease sufferers in the UK had their hopes pinned on the passage of the Medical Innovation Bill. At that time it seemed just a technicality that the bill would be signed into law, and now doctors would be innovating and trying new drugs on seriously ill patients. Instead, last month the supporters of the bill were dealt a devastating blow when the Liberal Democrats’ health minister, Norman Lamb, told Tory health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, that even though the bill passed the House of Lords, his party would not support it, according to a Feb. 28 article in the Telegraph. In fact, he said, the party would not even allow the House of Commons to debate it. “They have killed the Medical Innovation Bill,” said Lord Saatchi, who introduced the bill after the death of his wife from cancer, upon hearing of the defeat. “It is dead. By killing the Bill they have killed the hopes of thousands of cancer patients.”
Mavis Nye Makes an Appeal for Mesothelioma Patients
Mavis Nye, who has battled mesothelioma for over five years and championed the cause by working directly with Lord Saatchi, attending public consultation sessions, making herself available to the media for interviews, and posting vital information on social media, particularly felt the sting of defeat. “Nick Clegg [Liberal Democrat leader] has signed a death warrant to so many Mesowarriors suffering from Mesothelioma,” Mavis said to MesotheliomaHelp.”We are terminal and we need to be able to have every new drug that is out there.” The Medical Innovation Bill, as explained on the Medical Innovation Bill website, will help doctors to innovate new treatments and cures safely and responsibly for cancer and other diseases. And this is exactly what sufferers of rare diseases, such as mesothelioma, need in order to find an effective treatment. The disease, that is caused by past asbestos exposure, is primarily treated with chemotherapy and radiation, but typically recurs. Through innovation, doctors in the UK would have access to treatments proven beneficial on other diseases and cancers. However, without the bill, doctors fear lawsuits if a treatment, not approved for mesothelioma, were to fail. Mavis supported the mesothelioma community through her help with Lord Saatchi and a team of advocates who offered public consultations about the bill and gathered feedback from the public, patients and the medical community in order to address any concerns. Modifications were made, and the bill was “debated four times in the House of Lords, amended, improved and passed to the House of Commons unanimously with cross-party support from the Tory and Labour parties,” according to Alex Smith, CEO of Harrison’s Fund, a nonprofit organization dedicated to fighting Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy of which his son suffers. Yet, still, the bill failed due to concerns raised in the House of Commons. Mavis sent an email to Nick Clegg pleading for reconsideration of the bill, saying in part, “We Are Mesothelioma Sufferers, there is no cure, please help us and change your mind. ” “Please think again Mt Clegg.” Mavis received a response from Edward Simpson, Office of the Rt Hon Nick Clegg MP, with the following statement:
“As you are aware, the Bill seeks to encourage responsible innovation in medical practice by allowing doctors to use medicines which are outside of the usual range that are accepted for the treatment of a condition. We must avoid the risk of any unintended consequences, which is why these proposals need to be looked at seriously by Government and considered in depth.”
“One day he [Nick Clegg] will feel very guilty about this I imagine,” said Lord Saatchi. “To do what he has done, to kill all these people’s hopes, is something that will haunt him.”
Still Advocating and Fighting for Passage
“I have enormous sympathy for all those who have been through the awful experience of not being offered treatment which they believe might offer a chance of survival or of improving their condition,” Norman Lamb wrote in a Feb. 28 article in the Telegraph. “But getting the law right in this area is incredibly important. We have to avoid the risk of unintended consequences.” Lamb added that appointing someone to examine the barriers to innovation and solutions to overcoming them it could “then lead to draft legislation, if it is deemed necessary, going through full parliamentary scrutiny later this year.” With that being said, and with so much time and effort invested in the bill, Saatchi and his team are not giving up. They have continued to reach out to the members of parliament, hit social media hard and remain available to the media to help spread the word about the bill. “We want to generate a very quick petition to get the relevant politician, Nick Clegg, to undo his veto against the bill,” Dominic Nutt, director of communications at The Saatchi Cancer Initiative at M&C Saatchi, said to MesotheliomaHelp. The petition, set up on Change.Org by Alex Smith, requests the parliament to “Put lives before politics.” The goal is to get 5,000 signatures. Currently, there are over 3,800 supporters. For more information about the Saatchi Bill visit the Medical Innovation Bill website. Also, follow @SaatchiBill on Twitter or on Facebook for daily updates. Know more about Mesothelioma and how you can deal with it. Sources:
- Andy Burnham says LibDems’ decision to axe Saatchi Bill is ‘odd and wrong’
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/saatchi-bill/11444892/Andy-Burnham-says-LibDems-decision-to-axe-Saatchi-Bill-is-odd-and-wrong.html - Fury as Lib Dems kill off Saatchi Bill
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/saatchi-bill/11437789/Fury-as-Lib-Dems-kill-off-Saatchi-Bill.html - Lib Dems veto Saatchi’s medical innovation bill
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/mar/01/lib-dems-veto-saatchis-medical-innovation-bill - Lord Saatchi’s drugs bill has been let down by politics
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/news/11443310/Lord-Saatchis-drugs-bill-has-been-let-down-by-politics.html - Norman Lamb: Why we had to axe Lord Saatchi’s Bill and think again
- Medical Innovation Bill
http://medicalinnovationbill.dh.gov.uk/ - Medical Innovation Bill.
http://medicalinnovationbill.dh.gov.uk/
Nurses and Author Team Up to Enhance Healing in Mesothelioma Patients
Mesothelioma patients often feel like they have lost control of their lives and health once they are diagnosed. On the contrary, according to one author who has dedicated her career to helping patients influence their own healing, patients have tremendous control over their cancer journey. They just need the skills to shift from feeling fear to feeling relaxed and peaceful.
Peggy Huddleston, psychotherapist and author of Prepare for Surgery, Heal Faster: A Guide of Mind-Body Techniques, received a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School and has spent over 30 years researching the mind-body relationship. She ultimately developed a technique that harnesses “positive emotions and the human spirit” to speed healing.
“A person’s capacity for reducing pain is profound,” said Huddleston in an interview with MesotheliomaHelp. “When a patient learns to relax, he or she can significantly reduce both physical pain and emotional pain.”
Expert Insight
Peggy Huddleston
“I have a passion for seeing just how much patients can influence their own healing.”
Huddleston’s five-step process involves relaxation, visualization, asking friends and family to wrap them in a “Blanket of Love,” and healing statements spoken by the patient’s medical team. Huddleston says benefits to patients include less anxiety before surgery, less pain after surgery resulting in 25-50 percent less use of pain medication, and faster recovery.
Impressed Nurses Learn Huddleston’s Technique
While caring for a surgical patient, Lisa Hyde-Barrett, a mesothelioma nurse with more than 25 years of experience, realized there was something “special” about the woman. She was positive and relaxed, and her husband was equally calm. Impressed by her attitude, Lisa asked her how she did it. The woman said she purchased Huddleston’s book, Prepare for Surgery, Heal Faster, and then talked with her by phone for a personal, one hour workshop.
Intrigued by the patient’s outlook and recovery, Hyde-Barrett recruited co-worker Eleanor Ericson to join her at a two-day training offered by Huddleston that certifies medical professionals who want to use her techniques for patient care. The two nurses, who work at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and provide their expertise to the mesothelioma community through the “Nurse’s Corner” on MesotheliomaHelp.org, quickly saw the benefits of Huddleston’s techniques for mesothelioma patients.
“I have seen a lot during my career, and Peggy Huddleston’s method works,” says Hyde-Barrett.
“There are tons of research that says you need to have your head in the game before surgery- there is really no down side to this,” says Ericson.
The two are now both certified to offer Prepare for Surgery, Heal Faster workshops to patients and are working with Huddleston to bring the workshop to more hospitals in an effort to improve the patient experience.
Huddleston’s program is offered in leading hospitals throughout the United States including Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, NYU Langone Medical Center, Harvard Medical School and Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara Medical Center in California. It is also available at the University of Maryland Greenebaum Cancer Center, Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, NC and Norwalk Hospital in CT.
https://www.norwalkhospital.org/patient-and-visitors-info/integrative-medicine
Studies Show Patients Leave Hospital Sooner, Use Less Pain Medication, Have Higher Satisfaction
Huddleston points to various studies that show how, through enhancing the mind-body connection, patients heal faster and leave the hospital more quickly after surgery.
One study at the Lahey Clinic, a Tufts University Medical School teaching hospital, compared colorectal surgery patients who used the techniques in Prepare for Surgery, Heal Faster to a control group who did not use them. According to the study, the group following Huddleston’s program “had significantly less anxiety before surgery” and “were discharged from the hospital 1.6 days sooner than those in the control group.” The test group of patients also “used 60% less pain medication, had significantly less irritability, insomnia, nightmares, loss of appetite and had a significant increase in patient satisfaction” compared to the control group.
In a separate study, New England Baptist Hospital physicians found that knee-joint replacement patients using the Huddleston method were less anxious prior to surgery, healed faster and were discharged 1.3 days sooner than those not using it.
Once patients learn the techniques they can tap back into them each time they undergo another treatment, whether that is surgery, chemotherapy or radiation. In fact, further evidence shows the technique allows patients facing chemotherapy to lessen the side effects of anxiety, nausea and insomnia.
“If mesothelioma patients learn my techniques and put them into practice before their surgery or treatments, they could have a tremendous capacity to influence their own healing,” says Huddleston. “They can learn to access the deep inner peace that is their essence.”
Mind Over Matter Really Does Matter
Mind over matter practices have been around for a long time, and many medical professionals and Americans are beginning to be more open to holistic medicine that focuses on the mind-body connection. The stress of a chronic diagnosis suppresses the immune system when patients need the benefits of a healthy immune system the most. By calming the nerves and easing stress, patients can actually boost their immune system to help fight disease.
“People have such a capacity to influence the course of their treatment,” says Huddleston.
According to a recent survey from the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), the number of patients using alternatives to drugs and medicine, including yoga and meditation, to improve health and well-being is high. For example, the study found that between 2002 and 2012, the number of American adults who practice yoga nearly doubled to 21 million.
The NCCIH researchers believe the high rates of yoga use may be attributed to a growing body of research that shows the benefits of mind and body practices for managing pain and reducing stress.
“This is where medicine is going,” says Ericson, “treating the whole person.”
See the following for more information about Peggy Huddleston and Prepare for Surgery, Heal Faster:
- Boston Business Journal
http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/blog/health-care/2015/01/surgery-preparation-tool-sees-renewed-focus-as.html - HealFaster.com
http://www.healfaster.com/index.html
Know more about Mesothelioma and how you can deal with it.
Sources:
- Prepare for Surgery, Heal Faster: A Guide of Mind-Body Techniques
http://www.healfaster.com - National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health
https://nccih.nih.gov/news/press/02102015mb
Global Mesothelioma Rates Increasing in Many Countries, Italian Researchers Say
Mesothelioma incidence is on the rise in several nations, data show, but a lack of data for some of the world’s most populous countries, among other factors, obscures the true risk of asbestos exposure worldwide.
That’s the conclusion reached by Claudio Bianchi and Tommaso Bianchi of the Center for the Study of Environmental Cancer in Monfalcone, Italy in an article published in the Indian Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine. It is based on their analysis of data on mesothelioma incidence in Europe and Oceania as well as parts of Asia, the Middle East, and South America.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2847331/
“The most recent data available on mesothelioma epidemiology show that in many counties the incidence of the tumor does not present signs of attenuation,” write the researchers.
Countries with high mesothelioma incidence rates include the United Kingdom, The Netherlands, Malta, Belgium, Australia, and New Zealand—countries that, with the exception of New Zealand, have banned asbestos.
Intermediate mesothelioma incidence rates were found in several European countries and the United States, where diagnoses peaked in 2005 at 3,284 but have since declined somewhat. Low incidence and mortality rates were reported for other European countries and parts of Asia, including Japan.
But as the researchers caution, a lack of data for a number of populous countries where asbestos is still not banned (e.g. Russia, China, Brazil, Indonesia, and India) calls the data’s reliability into question.
“On the basis of global asbestos consumption in the last decades, one may predict that a further mesothelioma wave will involve large geographic areas,” write the Italians. “These are exactly the same for which data are not at present available.”
The reliability of the data is also reduced by the difficulty of diagnosing mesothelioma and huge variations in incidence from one area of a country to another, something that the researchers say makes incidence rates at a national level misleading. Italian data from 1988-1997 show, for example, pleural cancer mortality rates that differ by 40 fold from one Province to another. According to the study authors, mesothelioma cases are typically clustered around asbestos-intensive industries such as factories and shipyards.
In Japan, however, a country heavily involved in shipbuilding throughout the 20th century, low mesothelioma incidence does not square with asbestos use history. The Bianchis theorize that this underestimation is attributable to “inadequate registration of the death causes” previously detected in Japan. Other countries with large 20th century shipbuilding industries but low mesothelioma incidences are Poland and Spain.
A final statistical factor to consider is mesothelioma incidence among age classes. The Bianchis cite a 2013 report on mesothelioma in the United States that found an annual mesothelioma incidence rate that increased with age. In the period 2003-2008 the incidence rate was 8.34 per 1,000 for the age class 65-74, 17.07 for the class 75-84, and 17.62 for the class 85+.
This reflects the long latency period of mesothelioma, which does not develop for 15-60 years following initial exposure to asbestos. It also reinforces the ideas that the phasing out of asbestos use may still be followed by a decades-long upward trend in asbestos disease incidence.
The full article, “Global mesothelioma epidemic: Trends and features,” can be read on the Indian Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine website.
https://www.fightmesofoundation.com/
Mesothelin Combined with a MiRNA May Be Effective Diagnostic Biomarker for Mesothelioma
German researchers have shown that a combination of protein and nucleic acid biomarkers improves the diagnostic performance of a blood-based screening test for mesothelioma compared to the use of an individual biomarker from a single molecular class.
Malignant mesothelioma, an aggressive asbestos-caused cancer with a long latency period of 40 or more years, has a low median survival rate of 9-13 months from diagnosis due to the fact that symptoms typically only occur during late stages of the disease. Diagnosis at early stages has the potential to improve therapy and survival, but the development of a reliable blood test has been hindered by the low diagnostic performance of most prominent biomarker to date for mesothelioma—mesothelin.
The biomarker mesothelin, according to the authors of a new study published online by PLUS ONE, is characterized by high specificity (89%) but low sensitivity (58%). That is, in patients with mesothelioma, blood tests that use mesothelin as a biomarker generate false positives 11% of the time and false negatives 42% of the time. The AUC (a measure of diagnostic accuracy) of mesothelin is 0.85.
By combining the protein biomarker mesothelin with the microRNA (miRNA) biomarker miR-103a-3p, the researchers improved the overall diagnostic performance of a blood-based biomarker for mesothelioma to an AUC of 0.93.
“In conclusion,” writer the authors, “we showed that the combination of mesothelin and miR-103a-3p improved the diagnostic performance of a blood-based screening test, resulting in higher sensitivity and specificity to detect malignant mesothelioma.”
Malignant mesothelioma is a form of cancer that occurs in the thin layer of tissue that surrounds the lungs, abdomen and heart. Asbestos exposure in the only proven cause of mesothelioma.
Up to 3,000 new cases of the disease are diagnosed in the United States each year, with 85,000 U.S. cases expected until 2054.
Anyone who was exposed to asbestos in the past—or who worked in occupations at risk for exposure—should be aware of mesothelioma symptoms, which include chest or abdominal pain, shortness of breath, and unusual lumps in affected areas.
Because early diagnosis is the key to a favorable prognosis, schedule a doctor visit immediately if you have symptoms that might indicate mesothelioma.
Know more about Mesothelioma and how you can deal with it.
Sources :
- biomarker
http://www.cancer.gov/dictionary?cdrid=45618 - (new study published online by) PLUS ONE
http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0114483
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