Pericardial Mesothelioma Cause

Pericardial mesothelioma is known simply as an asbestos cancer. This means that the only known cause of pericardial mesothelioma is exposure to asbestos. There are a lot of American workers in all industries that have been exposed to asbestos while on the job. The diagnosis is grim; because of this asbestos exposure these Americans are now at risk to develop pericardial mesothelioma.

Before understanding its dangerous side effects, people lauded asbestos as a miracle material. Asbestos is incredibly resistant to fire and heat which makes it a strong building supply. Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral which is now known to be a carcinogen. It is believed that asbestos has been used as a building supply for thousands of years, dating back to ancient Greece and Rome.

Asbestos came into common use in the United States back in the Industrial Revolution. It was heavily used in factories and other large industries across the world. Asbestos was also used in oil refineries, chemical plants, on railroad cars, and in shipyards. All individuals who have worked in any of these industries in the past may be at risk of developing pericardial mesothelioma from asbestos exposure. Asbestos materials have been used to insulate pipes and boilers in steam engines, line tanks and ovens in oil refineries, and basically anywhere on United States ships.

As the 1900’s went on, manufacturers and builders found more and more potential uses for asbestos, thus increasing the future risk of diseases like pericardial mesothelioma. Workers are considered to be at risk if they worked in any asbestos-heavy industry which includes quite a few, or if the workers frequently handled asbestos products. Around the 1950’s people began to be aware that asbestos was causing negative health consequences like pericardial mesothelioma.

Exposure to asbestos is the main known cause of mesothelioma, and pericardial mesothelioma is a particularly rare form of cancer caused by asbestos exposure. Mesothelioma is caused when asbestos fibers are inhaled and become attached to the outer tissue of the lung, called the mesothelium. The asbestos fibers then cause a constant inflammation which may cause dangerous scar tissue to form. This allows the eventual development of cancerous cells.

Even though many companies became aware of the dangers of asbestos exposure back in the 1950’s, many such companies continued to have their workers exposed to asbestos for financial reasons. Years later, after numerous cases of employees becoming sick, the American government decided to step in and put in place regulation against asbestos use.