Authors: Martínez González C, Cruz Carmona MJ
Significant contributions have been made in the past year on different aspects of occupational/environmental respiratory disease. In the case of neoplastic diseases associated with asbestos inhalation, the areas of most interest have been in the search for tumour markers, the importance of the determination of asbestos fibre deposits in biological samples, and new therapeutic schemes in malignant pleural mesothelioma. A consensus article has been published on occupational asthma, in which some clinical evidenced-based recommendations are established, directed at the diagnosis and management of work-related asthma. As regards hypersensitivity-induced pneumonitis, the clinical and evolutionary aspects of this disease have been descr…
Asbestos
Many corporations move their manufacturing facilities or technologies from developed to developing countries. Stringent regulations have made it costly for industries to operate in developed, industrialized countries. In addition, labor costs are high in these countries, and there is increasing awareness among the general public of the health risks associated with industry. The relocation of hazardous industries to developing countries is driven by economic considerations: high unemployment, a cheaper labor force, lack of regulation, and poor enforcement of any existing regulations make certain countries attractive to business. The transfer of certain industries from Japan to Korea has also brought both documented occupational diseases and a new occupational disease caused by chemicals wit…
Asbestos
CONCLUSIONS: Significant differences in MLD and V10 for patients with fatal pulmonary toxicity compared to patients without fatal lung toxicity have been demonstrated. Based on the presented data local lung dose constraints have been modified in order to avoid unacceptable toxicity.
PMID: 19364621 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Radiotherapy and Oncology : journal of the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology)
Mesothelioma News
In conclusion, there is excellent correlation between TPS and MC calculations for the target doses. The pencil beam algorithm and superposition convolution algorithms both underestimate lung dose parameters, but the superposition convolution dose offers improvements in dose calculation accuracy for these patients.
PMID: 19458589 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics)
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Mesothelioma News
A 24-year-old man presented himself with a nodular lesion of about 1 cm diameter at the site of a previous orchiopexy associated with surgery for cryptorchism. Histopathology revealed the lesion to be adenomatous and confined to the scrotum. Histological and immunohistological features were not consistent neither with median raphe cysts or cutaneous adenomas nor with the intrascrotal adenomas of the rete testis, epididymis, nor with (malignant) mesotheliomas. However, the lesion did compare well with serous (papillary) cystadenomas of the testis or paratestis. These adenomas are thought to originate in remnants of the Müllerian system or of peritoneal lining altered by Müllerian metaplasia. This implies that the scrotal adenoma may have developed from an implant of such e…
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Mesothelioma News
A man diagnosed with mesothelioma is singing the praises of hospice care, stating his time at St. Helena Hospice in Essex, England has given him a new lease on life.
David Shirra was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma, a rare and aggressive cancer, in late 2007. Mesothelioma is almost exclusively caused by asbestos exposure and Shirra worked with asbestos frequently as a docker.
Following his mesothelioma diagnosis, 71-year-old Shirra and his wife, Doreen, were shocked, stating the news hit them like “a bolt out of the blue.” His family, especially his teenage granddaughter, took the news very hard.
Shirra’s time at St. Helena’s not only helped enjoy his life again, but it helped his granddaughter accept his diagnosis after she enrolled in an art therapy course offered by St. He…
Mesothelioma News
A mesothelioma patient was awarded million in non-economic damages and more than 0,000 in economic damages following an asbestos lawsuit filed against a manufacturer and distributor of asbestos-containing joint compound.
Jack Reynolds was diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma in 2008 after serving in the United States Navy for 10 years before working for a fellow Navy serviceman’s business installing and finishing drywall in residential construction.
Mesothelioma is a rare, aggressive cancer caused almost exclusively by asbestos exposure. Reynolds used asbestos-containing joint compound, a product manufactured and supplied by Hamilton Materials, Inc. The company was the supplier of Red Dot brand asbestos-containing joint compound from 1963 through 1977.
The joint compound was used to…
Asbestos
This study evaluates Alberta’s mesothelioma filing and compensation rates.Demographic information on all mesothelioma patients diagnosed between 1980 and 2004 were extracted from the Alberta Cancer Board’s Cancer Registry and linked to Workers’ Compensation Board of Alberta claims data.Alberta recorded a total of 568 histologically confirmed mesothelioma cases between 1980 and 2004. Forty-two percent of cases filed a claim; 83% of filed claims were accepted for compensation.Patient under-reporting of compensable mesothelioma is a problem and raises larger questions regarding under-reporting of other asbestos-related cancers in Alberta. Strategies should focus on increasing filing rates where appropriate. Am. J. Ind. Med. 2009 © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. (Source: American Journal of Industrial…
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Mesothelioma News
An asbestos campaigner in Great Britain is preparing for a 1,200 mile bicycle journey in hopes of raising awareness about the dangers of asbestos exposure.
Jason Addy, an activist with the organization Save Spodden Valley, hopes to raise money to be donated to the search for a cure for asbestos-related cancers. Addy will be joined by two friends and plans to cycle through parts of the country that have been greatly impacted by asbestos-related cancers such as mesothelioma.
The journey will begin in the town of Glasgow on June 20, 2009 and will conclude in Southampton on July 4. Addy says he cannot wait for the lengthy trip to begin.
“It will be tough going as we will be cycling up to 100 miles a day, but it is for a very important cause and promises to be a breathtaking journey to …
Mesothelioma News
There are many environmental causes of lung cancer. These environmental causes are often preventable. Causes of lung cancer, such as exposure to radon, asbestos, certain chemicals, secondhand smoke and wood smoke, can often be avoided if we are aware of their presence. (Source: About.com Lung Cancer)
Asbestos