The History of Asbestos-Related Mesothelioma

Asbestos is a fiber that was used in construction such as insulation and fire protection. Asbestos fibers are small and toxic, easily enter the body through the lungs and cause a range of health problems. Exposure to asbestos can cause a variety of diseases, including lung cancer, asbestosis and mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a cancer that affects the meosthelium or protective coating that covers the body's internal organs, especially the lining of the lungs and chest, known as the pleura. While mesothelioma can be caused by other factors, most cases are linked to asbestos exposure.

Asbestos-related mesothelioma attention for the first time in 1929 when the first lawsuit against asbestos manufacturers was filed. Both sides agreed to set up and prevent further similar cases in future, the harmful effects of asbestos and once again leave the radar.

In 1960, however, asbestos and mesothelioma in the news again. In a paper published by Wagner et al, asbestos was declared as the official cause of mesothelioma. The paper cited more than 30 cases of mesothelioma in people who were working in asbestos mines or spent a good amount of time in proximity to asbestos. Two years later, a worker was diagnosed with asbestos Australia the first case of malignant mesothelioma. He worked in the asbestos mine in Wittenoom, Australia, just two years before developing the disease.

Wittenoom became a nightmare mesothelioma. A mining town that revolved around the factories of asbestos waste from the asbestos mines had an effect on many who lived there, whether or not worked in the mines. Toxic levels of asbestos mines are at stake, and cases of mesothelioma have started to appear in mine workers and non-mine workers alike. Wittenoom mining lasted from 1943 to 1966 despite the existence of evidence that asbestos caused mesothelioma and other serious ailments.

The mines are owned and operated by CSR Limited, a company that produces aluminum and building materials including asbestos insulation. The company did not have adequate security precautions to control the exposure of people to asbestos in mines.

In fact, during the period in which CSR Limited Wittenoom mines in operation, thousands of mine workers, their families, and visitors are exposed to lethal amounts of asbestos. There are regulations in force at the time how to control exposure to asbestos from operators of mines; CSR simply not follow them.

The Health Department of Western Australia issued several warnings to the CSR, but not makes changes to protect miners and settlers, even after many cases of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases began to sprout.

In the late 1970s the Government of Western Australia began the closure of the town of Wittenoom, because it was not safe to live there. Asbestos levels are too toxic, and, finally, at least one third of people exposed to asbestos at Wittenoom were diagnosed with mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases.

In 1979, suits against CSR Limited, and they were found to have shown negligence and conscious disregard for the safety of mine workers and the city. Even now, new cases of mesothelioma related to Wittenoom tragedy was diagnosed with an RSE limited cost millions of dollars in settlements.

Asbestos is still widely used in many products today, despite its toxicity. Attempts to legislate a ban on asbestos have so far been overturned by the courts. The EPA has resources available to provide information about asbestos, asbestos related products, and how to control their exposure to asbestos.