Asbestos has been recognized as a public health hazard. Thanks to the efforts of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to regulate public exposure to asbestos, the incidence of asbestosis, a lung scarring disease, has been declining in the United States for nearly 40 years.
The relationship between asbestos and lung cancer is well known, what is not widely reported is the link between asbestos and a rare form of cancer called mesothelioma. A study published in the British Journal Industrial Med. (1988:v.45:182-187) has shown that mesotheliomas occur in men exposed to asbestos in the workplace, or occasionally in family members who either live near asbestos mines or are exposed to asbestos fibers brought home on clothing.
The study involved a group of 17,800 male asbestos insulation workers in the United States and Canada, was followed from 1967 until 1986. During this period, 356 of the men died of malignant mesothelioma. Mesothelioma affects the membranes, or pleura, lining the cavities of the thorax and abdomen. In this study, the average period between first exposure to asbestos and a diagnosis of mesothelioma is 35 to 40 years, with most deaths occurring in patients well over 60 years of age.
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