The Link Between Mesothelioma and Working in Taconite Mines

Researchers at the University of Minnesota have confirmed a correlation between the risk of mesothelioma and the amount of time that workers spent in taconite mines. Mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer of the lining of the lung and abdominal cavity. It’s generally associated with exposure to another mineral fiber, asbestos, linking the disease to occupations where asbestos was used.

The findings which will be presented to the Minnesota Legislature were part of an ongoing 5-year, $4.9 million study of Taconite workers’ health.The researchers said that a person’s risk of getting mesothelioma increased by three percent for each year they works in a taconite mine. The study is potentially groundbreaking because the type of mineral fibers present in iron ore mining have not been previously linked to mesothelioma.

“One important finding of the work to date in that the risk of contracting mesothelioma is higher across the entirety of the Range among people who worked longer in the industry,” said Dr. Jeff Mandel, a School of Public Health environmental health expert and principal investigator of the study.”

The Minnesota Legislature commissioned the study in 2008 after data from the Minnesota Cancer Registry showed an apparent excess of cases of mesothelioma among Iron Range workers. The study’s objective is to determine whether dust-related lung disease, including mesothelioma, lung cancer and other non-malignant respiratory disease is related to working in the taconite industry.

The researchers found that the causes of death among taconite workers compared to Minnesotans as a group were higher than expected for mesothelioma, lung cancer and heart disease.

The researchers are still trying to determine if the increased risk of mesothelioma among taconite miners is a result of cumulative exposure to the microscopic mineral fibers present in taconite dust. They plan to do further data analysis in coming months.

Source: University of Minnesota School of Public Health Press Release

Mesothelioma Survivor Jan Egerton Pens Book to Raise Research Funds

Jan Egerton enjoys a visit to the store.

Mesothelioma can be an all-consuming disease. The physical and emotional toll of dealing with the symptoms, treatments and side-effects can leave those battling the cancer overwhelmed and exhausted. For many, plans are put on hold and “living for the day” becomes a mantra. Jan Egerton, a long-time mesothelioma survivor from England, lives for each day as well, but she can’t stop hoping for a future that holds a cure for mesothelioma. Jan hatched a plan last year on how she could help make that a reality, and this month she published her 402-page novel and is donating a portion of the proceeds to raise funds for mesothelioma research.

Although Jan loves writing and has always wanted to write a book, she had primarily used her blog, “Mesothelioma – Jan’s Journey,” to fill the void. However, after one particularly contentious day at work in early May, Jan came home, sat down at the computer and created “The DreamWeaver’s Choice.” Jan was so focused on the story that “the words just tumbled out, and my poor fingers couldn’t keep up,” she said. Three weeks later she had completed her first draft.

“Writing, regardless of whether it’s fiction or mesothelioma-related helps me deal with the cancer, instead of the mesothelioma eating away at me from the inside,” said Jan in an email interview last week. “Writing has given it a way to come out and keep me sane.”

Writing also gave Jan an opportunity to give back to the mesothelioma community. Jan contacted Chris Knighton, founder of the Mick Knighton Mesothelioma Research Fund (MKMRF), an English organization that was established to raise awareness and fund crucial research projects for mesothelioma, to let her know that she wanted proceeds from the sale of her book to help fund research through the Mick Knighton Mesothelioma Research Fund.

For Jan’s previous work with MKMRF and her continued generosity to help fund research efforts by the organization, Chris named Jan Ambassador for MKMRF.

“Jan is a source of inspiration and hope to so many people living with mesothelioma, and she has surpassed herself once again by writing a novel with the proceeds going towards the Mick Knighton Mesothelioma Research Fund,” Chris told MesotheliomaHelp.org in an email.

Chris explained that an MKMRF Ambassador acknowledges the work of the Research Fund wherever and whenever possible; helps to raise its profile, and encourages fundraising to help the organization continue its work in the fields of research, support and campaigning so fewer and fewer people have to go through the pain and suffering mesothelioma brings both sufferer and their family.

“What better person could we have as an ambassador than Jan, a true mesothelioma survivor, and indeed it is us at MKMRF who are humbled and honoured to have her on board,” said Chris on naming Jan ambassador.

“The DreamWeaver’s Choice” is a complex story of the battle of good versus evil where the central characters are vampires and spirits, and a human detective with her beloved K-9, Bear Boy. The story moves from the 1800’s, when vampires roamed the streets of England and viciously took victims, to modern day where vampires still live in England but have divided into factions of “good” vampires who live among humans without harming them, and “bad” vampires who continue to stalk and attack unsuspecting Brits.

The good vampires rely on a sophisticated set of medicines and supplies to help them function normally, but their enemies are working hard to hijack and sabotage their efforts while reaping billions of dollars by extorting the desperate vampires needing the potions to remain part of society. The players in the book have deeply intertwined lives and knowing who to trust becomes a matter of life and death.

“I only hope the book does the charity justice and raises some much needed funds,” says Jan.

Jan self-published the book and is trying to promote it via word of mouth and social media. You can find information about the book at Novelist Jan and on Facebook at Bearboy Vampire Books. The book is available for Kindle at Amazon.com. USA readers can order here, UK readers can access the book here. Jan is currently working on a print version of the book.

Sources:

Facebook at Bearboy Vampire Books
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Bearboy-Vampire-Books/168388509977228
Novelist Jan
http://novelistjan.blogspot.co.uk/

World Health Organization Reiterates All Forms of Asbestos Cause Cancer

The World Health Organization and the International Agency for Research on Cancer issued a joint statement Feb. 19 stating that all forms of asbestos cause cancer in humans and stopping the use of all forms of asbestos is the most efficient way to eliminate diseases caused by asbestos such as mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the chest and abdominal cavities.

The joint statement came in response to an article published this month in The Lancet medical journal raising questions about the IARC ‘s participation in a conference in Kiev, Ukraine and potential conflicts of interest. The IARC is participating with the Russian Scientific Research Institute of Occupational Health in a study of cancer among chrysotile workers in Asbest, Russia. The lead author of the research is Evgeny Kovalevsky, who is a promoter of chrysotile asbestos. The IARC is providing epidemiological expertise for the study.

Several prominent American health researchers including Richard Lemen, retired U.S. Assistant Surgeon General, sent a letter to the IARC saying it was unacceptable that a scientist who is a promoter of asbestos should be a lead investigator on an IARC research project. The authors of the letter noted that the World Health Organization had previously withdrawn the Russian Scientific Research Institute’s designation as a WHO collaborating center because of the institute’s conflicts of interest with the Russian asbestos industry.

In the joint statement, the WHO and IARC said the study on cancer among chrysotile asbestos workers in Asbest, Russia will provide important scientific data to quantify the risk of cancers known to be related to chrysotile, the most commonly produced asbestos fiber. In addition it may be useful in quantifying the risks of additional cancers suspected to be related to chrysotile asbestos exposure. The IARC acknowledged receiving a number of emails urging the agency not to participate in the conference.

The IARC and WHO said they take conflict of interest seriously and use a rigorous process to protect research.

According to the Lancet article, the timing of the IARC attendance at the conference and decision to collaborate in the study are particularly sensitive on the eve of an upcoming meeting of countries participating in the Rotterdam Convention. The attendees at the conference will discuss the listing of chrysotile to the Rotterdam Convention, which would require countries that import chrysotile asbestos to give prior informed consent of the health hazards it poses. Russia which has an active asbestos industry, may try to block the addition to chrysotile to the list of hazardous substances.

The heaviest burden of asbestos cancer is currently found in the United State, European countries, Australia, Japan and South Africa, according to a 2012 article in the British Journal of Cancer. The highest consumption of asbestos is in China, Russian, India, Ukraine, Thailand, Brazil and Iran, signaling that those countries will have increases in mesothelioma and asbestos-related cancer deaths in the future.

Approximately, 2,500 to 3,000 people in the U.S. die each year of mesothelioma. It is a devastating disease. Most people who are diagnosed with mesothelioma were exposed to asbestos in a workplace or during military service decades ago.

Sources :

Lancet article
http://secure.jbs.elsevierhealth.com/action/cookieAbsent
joint statement
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/statements/2013/response_lancet_20130219/en/

New Report: Incidence Of Mesothelioma More Than Doubled in Ireland Since 1990s

A new report on cancer trends by Ireland’s National Cancer Registry says the incidence of mesothelioma among men in Ireland has doubled since the 1990s and will continue soaring during the next decade. Mesothelioma is a cancer of the thin lining of the lungs and abdominal cavity.

Despite large year-to-year variations in the number of cases of pleural mesothelioma diagnosed on the Emerald Isle, the report says the incidence of pleural mesothelioma among men has more than doubled since 1994 from an average of 13 cases per year in 1994-96 to 36 cases in 2009. The researchers project the number of cases will increase to 68 cases of mesothelioma per year in men by 2020.

Most people encountered asbestos on the job. Approximately 97 percent of men and 82 percent of women diagnosed with mesothelioma inhaled asbestos fibers in a workplace.

Pleural mesothelioma develops in the lining of the chest cavity and is by far the most common form of the disease. Ninety four percent of the cases of mesothelioma in men and 75 percent of the cases in women in Ireland were malignant pleural mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma is largely linked to chronic exposure to asbestos in male-dominated jobs. Of the mesothelioma patients in Ireland whose occupations were documented, half were construction workers, electricians, carpenters, metal workers and woodworkers. More than five times as many men as women were diagnosed with mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is more prevalent among construction workers and workers in occupations exposed to asbestos in the United States as well.

While asbestos was used heavily in the United States starting during 1940s, asbestos was mostly used in Ireland from the 1960s to the 1980s. Ireland began phasing out the use of asbestos in the 1990s and its use was generally banned under European Union regulations in 2000. Because of the long latency period of 20 to 40 years between asbestos exposure and appearance of mesothelioma, researchers in Ireland project the incidence of mesothelioma will peak in 2020.

The majority of pleural mesothelioma patients were between 60 to 80 years of age when diagnosed. Chemotherapy has become an increasingly common form of treatment for mesothelioma. Almost 60 percent of male and female patients with mesothelioma received chemotherapy from 2005 to 2010.

Yet, pleural mesothelioma has a poor prognosis. More than 70 percent of mesothelioma patients enrolled in the cancer registray since 1994 died within one year of diagnosis.

Source: National Cancer Registry, Ireland

Mesothelioma Myths Debunked

Mesothelioma is a rare cancer, and because of that, there are many myths surrounding the disease. For mesothelioma patients and their families, helping to dispel these myths and educating others about the cancer can lead to better support. In an article published last year, Michele Carbone, MD, PhD, one of the country’s premier experts on mesothelioma and director of the University of Hawaii Cancer Center, presented detailed information about mesothelioma to clear up many fallacies and inconsistencies reported in association with the asbestos-caused cancer.

Myth #1: The number of mesothelioma cases is declining now that asbestos use is regulated.

While many uses for asbestos were banned in the mid-1970’s, the risk from exposure continues to this day because of mesothelioma’s long latency and incubation periods. Symptoms, most commonly affecting the lungs, can sometimes take between 10-70 years to appear making diagnosis of the disease difficult.

Asbestos continues to be a threat to workers exposed through their occupations and in buildings that were erected or renovated prior to the ban. However, even though asbestos exposure in the workplace has largely been eliminated in the United States, asbestos products used in older buildings degrade over time resulting in asbestos fibers being dispersed into the environment.

According to Carbone, over 20 million people in the United States are at risk of developing malignant mesothelioma due to asbestos exposure. Although prior to the 1950’s, mesothelioma was rare, as noted by Carbone, mesothelioma is now responsible for approximately 3,000 deaths per year in the U.S. Carbone further estimates that mortality rates from mesothelioma will increase by 5-10% per year in most industrialized countries until about 2020.

First responders to the World Trade Center terrorist attacks are now at risk of developing mesothelioma. Asbestos was used to insulate the lower half of the first World Trade Center tower, and some studies report over 400 tons of asbestos dust was released into the air upon the collapse of the buildings. A pattern has emerged of negative health effects among firefighters who responded to the 9/11 tragedy. That pattern persuaded a medical advisory panel in 2012 to recommend adding mesothelioma to the list of cancers and diseases for which firefighters and first responders should receive compensation and treatment.

Myth #2: Only men over 65-years-old are diagnosed with mesothelioma.

While it is true that nearly 80 percent of the mesothelioma cases are diagnosed in men, typically in their late 60’s to 70’s, younger men and women are also susceptible to developing the disease. Men tend to develop the cancer more often than women due to the greater presence of men in the kinds of heavy industrial jobs such as ship building, mining and automotive repair where asbestos was prevalent.

However, the men who worked around asbestos, and brought the fibers home on their clothing, shoes and in their hair, may have inadvertently exposed their children and spouses to the deadly toxin leading to second-hand exposure. Inhalation of the toxic asbestos fibers through second-hand exposure can lead to mesothelioma. In fact, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has reported that there is no safe level of asbestos exposure.

According to researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, women tend to develop mesothelioma at an earlier age than men, but they live longer with the disease after surgery.

One of the featured patients on MesotheliomaHelp.org, Jan Egerton of England, was diagnosed with mesothelioma at the age of 44. She has developed a large network of mesothelioma survivors and finds that many of them are women and younger men. In an email to Nancy Meredith she said, “Mesothelioma is without a doubt no longer an old man’s disease.”

Myth # 3: Pleural mesothelioma is just another lung cancer caused by smoking.

Unlike many other predominantly pulmonary-related cancers, cigarette smoking has no known causative affect on pleural mesothelioma incidence. Mesothelioma is caused by past exposure to asbestos. As a result, mesothelioma is an entirely preventable disease. Unfortunately, many people that develop mesothelioma were unaware of the dangers of asbestos in the workplace.

Even small amounts of asbestos and infrequent exposure can create a risk for contracting mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer or other asbestos-related diseases. However, according to Carbone, workers in trades where they experienced higher levels of asbestos exposure may also experience a shorter latency time compared to those exposed to less asbestos.

Some researchers report that patients who have previously been exposed to asbestos and also smoke may have a higher risk of developing the cancer. In addition, according to the American Society of Clinical Oncology, smoking may reduce the effectiveness of cancer treatment. Patients who continue to smoke and undergo surgery may have an increased risk of heart and lung complications, including increased problems from general anesthesia.

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