May
11
If you’ve heard the term asbestosis, but don’t know what it is, then here’s what you need to know.
1. Asbestosis is a respiratory illness that affects the lungs. It’s not always obvious, as the symptoms are similar to aging, and being overweight.
2. It can take around 15 - 20 years for asbestosis to develop, and so it’s affecting many older people, who may think that their symptoms are just a sign that they are getting old.
3. Most foreign objects that are breathed in are broken down by microphages, before they reach the lungs. Unfortunately, asbestos can’t be broken down easily. The method the microphages use to break down asbestos, causes damage to the alveoli, which then leads to breathing problems, as the lungs are damaged.
4. Early symptoms of asbestos include generally feeling unwell, and out of sorts. You might be short of breath after light exercise. You might also have a dry cough too.
5. As the disease progresses, you might be even more short of breath, and start to have chest pains. Another sign of asbestosis is you’re your fingers start to deform, which indicates that oxygen isn’t being exchanged efficiently in the blood.
6. The advanced stage of asbestosis includes lots more chest pain. You’ll have problems sleeping due to the pain, and being unable to breathe properly. You might need to be reclined in order to breathe. Your hands and feet might start to swell. You might also start coughing up blood. If you are, or were, a smoker, then you might think that your condition is due to smoking.
7. If you have been diagnosed with asbestosis, then it can usually be kept under control. You’ll want to be able to retain some of your independence, and carry on with your life as normal, if you can.
8. Asbestos can also lead to other serious illnesses, such as mesothelioma and cancer. These can prove fatal, and so it’s important to seek medical advice if you think that you might have been exposed to asbestos.
9. Asbestos was used in many work and home environments from around 1900 to the 1970s. It affects all sorts of workers, such as shipyard workers, gas fitters, electricians, carpenters, and even those who lived near asbestos factories, or washed the overalls of those workers.
10. If you’re suffering from asbestosis, then you can claim compensation. It involves providing a lot of medical and personal information, and you’ll need a dedicated firm of asbestos solicitors,rather than normal accident claim solicitors to help you.
Now you know more about asbestosis, and what it can do, if you think you’ve been exposed to it, or are already suffering, why not see if you could claim compensation from an asbestosis lawyer?
By: M James
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May
11
Asbestos exposure can lead to unforgivable injuries that can be precursors to cancer and asbestosis. One can risk exposure to asbestos anywhere where airborne asbestos exists. Asbestos injuries can be very serious and cause great detriment in a person’s life. An asbestos injury can happen when a person is exposed to dangerous amounts of asbestos for continuous periods of time.
Certain occupations are at a higher risk for asbestos exposure including those in the construction, railroad, mining, and shipyard industries. Not only are the workers more likely to be exposed to asbestos, but their families are as well. When a worker is exposed to asbestos, tiny fibers of the particles can be brought home via clothes, shoes, and hair. The invisible exposure to asbestos can cause drastic health problems in family members because the exposure can go undetected for long periods of time. Even though the exposure is not very concentrated, over time the effects can be deadly.
Some of these deadly effects are asbestosis, mesothelioma, and cancer. Asbestosis is a non cancerous asbestos injury that can lead to disability and even death. Asbestosis’ physical symptom is the scarring of the lower lobes of the lungs. This happens when asbestos fibers are inhaled over a period of time. The effects of asbestosis can worsen over time because this is a silent killer whose effects can go undetected for some time. Asbestos exposure can also cause mesothelioma, which is a cancerous, deadly disease that attacks the mesothelium of that lines the walls of organs. Mesothelioma is often dormant for years but once it is detected a person usually has less than a year to live. Asbestos is truly a silent killer because a person may be living with an asbestos injury for years. The third effect of asbestos is cancer. Lung, esophagus, colon, kidney, larynx, and pancreatic cancers can all be caused by asbestos injuries. There is a seven times greater risk for individuals who have been exposed to asbestos to develop lung cancer than those who have not been exposed.
All of these serious, life threatening problems could be prevented through the implementation of prevention programs. The government has already limited legal employee exposure levels to a maximum exposure of 0.1 fibers per cubic centimeter in an eight hour day. Limiting asbestos exposure could result in diminishing some asbestos injuries. It is vital for the government to enforce stricter asbestos exposure laws in order to protect the well being of workers in high risk jobs.
By: Tony Ulrich
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May
7
There is nobody out there that would like to be told they have been diagnosed with cancer, let alone stage 4 lung cancer. It would certainly have to be one of the worst diseases to have. You may know a loved one that currently has it or you might have it yourself, whatever the case, it is useful to inform oneself about this topic as this article will.
Stage 4
Just in case you don’t know how cancers are classified, they are classified in 4 stages. Stage 1, 2, 3 and 4. Stage 4 is the most advanced stage which means that the cancer is no longer restricted to your lungs and chest and that it has spread to other parts of the body.
Causes
Scientific studies show that 90% of all lung cancer cases are caused by tobacco. Other causes include passive smoking, exposure to asbestos and air pollution.
Sign & Symptoms
The following are symptoms of the presence of lung cancer in your body:
- Coughing
- Wheezing
- Shortness of breath
- Chest pain
- Coughing up blood
However, the symptoms for stage 4 lung cancer are different and you can detect whether the cancer has reached this stage:
- Headaches
- Blurred vision
- Seizures
- Stroke symptoms
Treatment
The treatment available for lung cancer is pretty much the same for all stages of the disease, but as with all other cancers, your chances of survival depend on how early you were diagnosed. The 3 most common treatments for stage 4 lung cancer are surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy.
Hopefully, this article has given you a concise yet very informative summary on all there is to know about stage 4 lung cancer.
By: Martin Sejas
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May
7
What is Asbestos?
Asbestos is a mineral fibre that is known for its heat resistance and strength. It is also very resistant to acid.
Asbestos can only positively be identified under a microscope, however, asbestos in the home and workplace is very easy to identify.
As asbestos ages it starts to crumble and break, the fibres which are deadly are then released into the air and breathed in.
What Illnesses are caused by Asbestos?
The tiny fibres that are released by the asbestos penetrate deeply into the lungs and remain in the individuals lungs for the rest of their lives.
Constant or regular exposure to high does of asbestos fibres can cause scarring of the lung tissue and respiratory disease asbestosis. Exposures to low amounts of asbestos are still highly dangerous and can cause lung cancer. Direct contact with asbestos can also cause Mesothelioma - a form of cancer exclusively linked to asbestos exposure.
Symptoms of asbestos exposure usually take 20 - 40 years to develop and 100% of cases are fatal.
All types of asbestos cause cancer and all types of asbestos cancers can kill.
Children are especially prone to developing cancer after exposure to asbestos.
What Products Contain Asbestos?
- Floor Tiles
- Ceiling Tiles
- Sprayed on Textures Ceilings
- Wrapping For Pipes
- Boiler Insulation
- Fire Proofing - Surfaces and Similar
- Roof Tiles
- Roof Tar
- Heaters - Gas & Electric
What To Do If You Suspect You Are In Contact With Asbestos
Should you discover or suspect that you have asbestos in any part of your home or business you need to make a decision based on the amount of exposure and the condition of the asbestos.
The most important factor is the general condition of the asbestos. If it is crumbling or broken it must be removed immediately as it will be releasing deadly asbestos fibres into the surrounding area.
You must not remove the asbestos yourself. The asbestos needs to be removed and disposed by a properly qualified and protected individual.
Call your local government office or council immediately and seek advice on recognised companies that can remove the asbestos safely.
If you are a home owner or a tenant you must make arrangements immediately to have the asbestos encapsulated or removed. You are liable for any person who develops cancer as a result of exposure in your home.
Asbestos Awareness Training
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By: Anthony Gregory
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May
6
Incredible as it may seem - because the dangers of asbestos were already beginning to be known - back in the 50s the P. Lorillard Company was using deadly crocidolite fibers in its Kent cigarette filters. In a review guide on eBay, an asbestos-identifying private consultant writes about the history of the asbestos-laden “micronite” filter used on Kent cigarettes between 1952 and 1956. And the U.S. government website notes that anyone who smoked a pack a day of Kent cigarettes between 1952 and 1956 may have been exposed to as much as 131 million crocidolite structures in a single year.
If you know anyone who was a smoker during this period, you may want to advise them of the danger to which they may have been exposed. Suggest they consult a physician who is an expert at understanding the early signs of asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma. Early detection can help with treatment and possibly improve quality of life. See below to find information about doctors who understand the complexities of diagnosing and treating mesothelioma.
Perhaps even more interesting was the claim that Kent cigarettes made for the positive health benefits the filter supposedly conferred on smokers. When a large number of workers from the Kent factories making the filters began coming down with those respiratory diseases, the alarm was raised. In 1995 scientists located unopened packages of Kent filter cigarettes date stamped from 1952. They put them through testing with artificial smoking machines that could measure the contents of the smoke. Extensive testing with first puffs and puffs after cigarettes had been put out and relit revealed that crocidolite fibers were present in the filters. They showed that many of the fibers were long enough to be classed as more likely to be carcinogenic and that substantial numbers of those longer fibers were carried directly into the smokers’ mouth and lungs.
As time has passed and more and more people are growing sick 30, 40, and 50 years later because of negligent behaviors by corporate entities long ago, our society has begun to realize that advertising can be manipulated to say anything that serves to boost sales, regardless of whether it’s based on facts. This is a good thing for public health–though too late for many. We are dedicated to helping assist those who may be suffering from mesothelioma from any cause.
By: Scott Hendler
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May
6
An Affordable Asbestos Training Scheme
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The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006 has made it a requirement that all employees who may be exposed to asbestos have to attend what is known as ” asbestos awareness training”. Before you become too downhearted you will no doubt be pleased to learn that to attend such a course, to receive this training, does not have to cost the earth.
Asbestos, or the rock fibre as it some times called, was used as a way of fire proofing and insulating buildings from the middle of the twentieth century however the practice was phased out in the 1980’s.
The older the building, the higher the risk and the asbestos fibres only become a risk, or a danger, when airborne.
Asbestos is well known to be the largest single cause of work-related deaths in England. People who are exposed are at risk of various health related illnesses including mesothelioma, asbestosis and lung cancer. This is why training is essential and of course is why it is now a requirement. The workers such as builders, electricians, roofers and plumbers should therefore see the fact that they have to attend an asbestos awareness training course as a positive thing, at the end of the day it could save them their life.
The courses themselves do not have to cost an arm and a leg; typically one should expect to pay no more than
May
3
Asbestos Cancer - What is It?
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The mining and use of asbestos started in the latter 1800’s. It has been used to make cement stronger, as roofing, insulation, fireproofing, and to soundproof. In shipbuilding they use it for insulation of hot water pipes, steam pipes, and boilers. It is used in brake shoes and clutch pads. This building material has been used in homes, factories, and public buildings.
Asbestos cancer is caused by exposure to asbestos, which are fibrous minerals. For a long time it was considered safe. But it is a carcinogen and being around it causes lung cancer and colorectal cancer amongst others. Close to ten thousand people in the United States die from its carcinogenic effect each year.
Mesothelioma is rare and is not usually cured. It’s the most typical kind of cancer caused by being close to asbestos. As many as thirty percent of the people diagnosed with mesothelioma had no clue that they had been exposed to the carcinogen. This illness attacks the mesothelium; this is the gossamer lining of the lungs, abdomen, and heart.
It causes two kind of lung cancer: small cell and non-small cell. Eighty percent of this form of lung cancer is non-small cell. The symptoms of this disease normally occur years beyond the time of exposure like mesothelioma and other types of asbestos cancer.
Asbestosis is a lung illness caused by exposure to asbestos. It damages and scars the lungs and later the lungs can’t expand and contract correctly. It is a kind of pulmonary fibrosis and it takes up to thirty years to show up. If the exposure to the asbestos is stopped the fibrosis discontinues. Though asbestosis has similar symptoms to other breathing disorders it develops differently over extended periods of time.
The symptoms of asbestosis are:
May
2
The inhalation of asbestos fibers often leads to two brutal outcomes. One either gets Mesothelioma or lung cancer. Both of these cancers are often fatal. That being said, what if you are lucky enough not to get either of these? Well, you aren’t out of the forest yet. You still have to worry about asbestosis.
The human body is an amazing thing. The fact we run normally is simply amazing given all the processes required to make that happen. They can be infinitely complex as can the processes used to fight things that are bad for us. Well, that is till we get to the lungs. The lungs are abused because they breathe in air from our world without much of a filter. The pollution in most cities is simply staggering. Regardless, the lungs react to foreign contaminants by using a brute force defense. They simply start trying to expel the material via a contraction. We’ve all experienced it. It is called coughing.
Asbestos is literally a killer because the lungs have massive problems dealing with it. The fibers tend to become embedded in lung material when breathed in. Despite endless coughing, most of the fibers will remain in the lungs. In unfortunate cases, this can lead to lung cancer or Mesothelioma. In others, it causes the less deadly, but often miserable condition known as asbestosis.
Asbestosis is literally the scarring of the lungs. When asbestos fibers are breathed in, they become embedded in the walls of the lungs. The body reacts by encasing them in scar tissue. This is problematic because scar tissue in the lungs is incapable of performing the gas exchange process handled by the lungs. If enough scarring occurs, your capacity for breathing will be reduced. This can greatly reduce the quality of one’s life as exercise and such become next to impossible.
Is there a cure for asbestosis? No. The removal of scar tissue from inside the lungs is theoretically possible, but there is no procedural that will bring the underlying lung material back to a state where gas exchange can happen. Without that, the capacity of the lungs will remain limited. While asbestosis rarely is terminal, it certainly can cut down on the quality of one’s life.
By: Thomas Ajava
About the Author:
Apr
30
Most people who have heard of malignant mesothelioma know of it as a lung disease that occurs in people who work or have worked with asbestos. While it is in most cases a rare form of cancer that grows in the layer of tissue covering the lungs, the layer of tissue known as the mesothelium actually covers most internal organs, and the mesothelium can develop cancer in places other than around the lungs, including the heart, the abdomen, and the testicles. According to the American Cancer Society, asbestosis is diagnosed in 2,000 to 3,000 people per year in the U.S.
It is a risk for anyone who works around asbestos fibers. When asbestos breaks apart, like when it is mined or when asbestos insulation is removed, the dust that is created may be inhaled (causing pleural mesothelioma) or swallowed (causing peritoneal mesothelioma). How the asbestos fibers cause the cell mutations that lead to cancer is not understood, but it may be the result of the asbestos irritating the tissues of the mesothelium.
Pleural (lung) mesothelioma causes symptoms such as painful breathing (also called pleurisy), shortness of breath, coughing, chest pain, weight loss, and lumps of tissue under the skin of the chest. When it attacks the mesothelium in the abdomen, a form of the disease known as peritoneal mesothelioma, symptoms include swelling of the abdomen, pain, altered bowel habits, weight loss, and lumps of tissue in the abdominal area. In the tissue layer over the heart, it can cause chest pain and difficulty breathing. Mesothelioma of the testicles is so rare that little information is available about the symptoms.
In addition to difficulty breathing, difficulty swallowing, and chest pain, it can put pressure on the superior vena cava, the large vein leading from the upper body to the heart and can press on the nerves and spinal cord, causing pain. It can also cause fluid to accumulate in the chest, compressing the lungs and making breathing labored. People who die of this disease are usually killed by complications like heart failure, lung failure, or stroke.
This disease is what is known as “dose-dependent,” which means that the longer you were exposed to asbestos, or the heavier the exposure to it, the greater the chances of developing it (whether of the lungs or another type). The dose dependency also affects the length of time between exposure and diagnosis, which can range from 10 to 50 years. Because even doctors sometimes have a hard time diagnosing mesothelioma, it is vital for anyone who has been exposed to asbestos to bring symptoms like shortness of breath to the attention of their doctor promptly. The earlier the diagnosis, the greater the survival rate.
The mesothelioma survival rates look particularly bleak because the disease is not usually diagnosed until it is advanced enough to cause symptoms. At that point, the treatment options are very limited. Generally speaking, from 7 to 20% of patients will survive for five years or more after being diagnosed. The average survival for someone with mesothelioma is between four and 18 months after being diagnosed. Symptoms can take as long as 50 years to develop after exposure to asbestos, so most people with mesothelioma don’t know that they have it.
Because of this, development of new tests and aids to earlier diagnosis are important areas of research into mesothelioma. The relatively recent Mesomark blood test is able to help some people be diagnosed earlier than they would otherwise, making more treatment options available and improving survival rates.
Treatment options include the traditional cancer treatments of surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. Usually two or more of these treatment options will be combined. A number of clinical trials in the U.S. are showing promising results, particularly for those whose disease was diagnosed relatively early. In these cases, some clinical trials are showing survival rates of up to 40% as opposed to the 10% or so average mesothelioma survival rate.
By: Morgan Robertson
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Apr
30
Filing a Pain Pump Lawsuit
Filed Under Legal | Leave a Comment
If you are a victim of pain pump machine, then be sure that you don’t leave the manufacturer to roam in the market. There is judiciary option where the victim can file a pain pump lawsuit against the manufacturer.
No one would have guessed that science and medicine could also prove to be havoc for mankind. One of such cases points to the use of pain pump machines. It has been recently studied that there is a link between the shoulder pain pumps and life-altering situation called Postarthroscopic Glenohumeral Chondrolysis. This is a permanent cartilage damage caused after the arthroscopic surgery. It is a chronic and irreversible condition, which causes extreme painful condition and restricts the movement of the patient, as well as gives rise to various other complications.
There are many individuals throughout the country who are using pain pumps to control the pain caused after arthroscopic shoulder surgery. Now the medical survey says that these pumps have become a cause of permanent pain as they are said to pump too much medicine which causes a cartilage loss that leads to lifelong permanent pain as well as suffering. The survey results showed statistics that out of 152 patients who underwent anthroscopic shoulder surgeries, 12 patients were those who had developed PAGCL. In addition, it was also found that these patients had used shoulder pain pump after the surgery.
A pain pump is a medical device, which is implanted inside the body that helps in coping with the pain management. It is a kind of device, which administers a dose of pain on the affected area that brings relief to the patient. However, medical practitioners have brought the fact that this is temporary relief equipment, which has more of the damaging side effects to the patient’s body.
Though this news is already out in the public and there are various pain pump lawsuits filed against the manufacturers, including some of the major companies like Stryker, DJO Inc. and I-Flow Inc.
Amongst the various allegations filed against the manufacturers, one of those were that these pain pump manufacturers failed to warn the medical community about the safety measures of using the pain pumps. Also, there were no precautions that the prolonged use of anesthetics can lead to permanent shoulder injury.
The latest statistics say that there are around 500 cases which have been filed as part of a class-action lawsuit against these pump makers, who are still running their products in the market. These companies have also not warned people that the FDA had not permitted the use of pumps in the joints. Doctors say that the FDA had approved of this device just for the external purpose, not to be used inside the joints.
Looking at the complications caused because of these pain pumps, one has to be very careful on this issue. In case, you have been trapped as a victim of this device, and have become handicapped because of it, then you can surely file a pain pump lawsuit against the device manufacturer and ask for compensation. These lawsuit attorneys check for the damage caused due to the malpractice of this device, and based on it, they file a compensation claim on your behalf. Also, there are some attorneys who offer free evaluation of your case, before pain pump lawsuit is filed against the culprit.
By: Gregory McEwen
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Find more information about Shoulder Pain Pump here.