Why We Need To Raise Mesothelioma Awareness
We live in a time where cancer is very prevalent, even with advances in medical technology, millions die from some form of cancer each year. Many forms of cancer can be nearly unavoidable due to genetics; however there are some forms of cancer that are caused by our day by day activities and can be avoided. Lung Cancer and Mesothelioma are both really good examples of the latter; smoking has been linked to being one of the major causes to lung cancer, where Mesothelioma is caused solely due to exposure to Mesothelioma.
Generally when we look to spread Cancer Awareness, we spread awareness about Breast Cancer, Lung Cancer, and just the general umbrella of cancer. While over 200,000 cases of lung cancer and over 175,000 cases of breast cancer are diagnosed each year, about only 3,000 cases of Mesothelioma are diagnosed each year. Though Mesothelioma may not have the mainstream media eyes or the number of victims that Breast Cancer and Lung Cancer claims, it is still important that we spread awareness of Mesothelioma and the dangerous fibers that cause it: Asbestos.
Much like smoking, the use of asbestos in products and construction wasn’t thought to have deadly side effects, however also like smoking time has shown that there is a deadly side effect of asbestos. Asbestos has been the sole link to the incurable Mesothelioma cancer that generally claims the lives of elder males. There are many issues that make Mesothelioma such a deadly cancer, notably the latency period that occurs between the time the victim was exposed to asbestos and when they see symptoms of Mesothelioma. Typically the Mesothelioma latency period is between 30-40 years, but can also be between 10 and 60 years after the victim was exposed to Mesothelioma. The latency period typically causes symptoms of Mesothelioma to not appear until the late stages of the cancer, making the cancer untreatable, and limiting the lifespan of its victims to an average of 4-18 months after diagnoses.
It’s important that we raise awareness for this cancer as Asbestos is still in use today in the United States. Every day countless people work products that can have asbestos making up as much as 70% of the product, while the government and court system know the dangers Asbestos has. Though an ideal replacement has not been found for Asbestos, there are many suitable substitutes that can be used and save thousands of lives. The public needs to raise up against Mesothelioma and get Asbestos banned in the country for good.