The Maune Raichle Law Firm

Mesothelioma Fact

The most important fact about mesothelioma to most people who are diagnosed with the cancer is the fact that it is most commonly caused by asbestos exposure. Many illnesses have proven to be caused by exposure to asbestos which lead to its ban in the mid 1970's. Mesothelioma is a cancer which often takes decades to develop, and many cases of mesothelioma are being diagnosed now, over 30 years after asbestos was banned. Since asbestos is the cause of over 90 percent of mesothelioma cases, exposure to this once relatively common building material is now readily linked to mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma is a rare cancer of the mesothelium, the thin layer of tissue which allows for the movement of internal organs and makes up the 3 main body cavities. Although it can occur in any of the 3 types of mesothelium, pleural mesothelioma makes up about 70 percent of all mesothelioma cancers. Mesothelioma is most commonly observed as a tumor or several tumors which developed between the 2 layers of the mesothelium. The fact that the cancer can quickly spread makes the infiltration of mesothelioma into the lungs quite common. This fact does not mean that mesothelioma is a lung cancer; it is quite commonly differentiated from lung cancers early in diagnosis because of the legal implications associated with the diagnosis of mesothelioma.

Many law suits have been filed against their former employers by individuals who developed mesothelioma following exposure to asbestos. Judges usually rule in favor of the plaintiffs as the link between asbestos exposure and mesothelioma is irrefutable. The most important fact in these cases, however, is the knowledge that many employers had about the health effects of asbestos prior to its ban. Many employers exposed their employees to asbestos without informing them of the possible risks of exposure.