Asbestos was advertised as a “miracle mineral” for over a century in the United States. Today, it’s known as the “mineral of death.”  According to the Environmental Protection Agency, asbestos is a mineral fiber found in rock and soil. Its fibers are strong and heat resistant. Because of its unique properties, asbestos makes an…

Asbestos is found virtually everywhere in the United States. It was once mined all across the country and mixed into everyday products. Now, people who were exposed to this mineral are dying from a rare type of cancer called mesothelioma. In this article, we explore commonly asked questions about mesothelioma and asbestos exposure. If your…

For decades, companies and manufacturers exposed hardworking people of Illinois to asbestos, the mineral of death. These corporations knew that asbestos exposure caused serious health problems like mesothelioma. But they choose to put profits before people instead. The only known cause of mesothelioma is asbestos exposure. This cancer has a latency period of 20 to…

Illinois has one of the highest asbestos-related death rates in the country. It has recently been reported that workers in the Caterpillar plants located in Illinois may have been exposed to asbestos. Since 1925, Caterpillar has become the world’s leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment. Caterpillar operates offices throughout the state of Illinois, including…

Thanks to mass awareness campaigns, most know that smoking increases the chances of developing lung cancer later in life. But did you know that smoking is linked to pleural mesothelioma, too? Defining and identifying pleural mesothelioma Researchers have discovered that smoking and asbestos exposure combined significantly increase your chances of developing pleural mesothelioma. Pleural mesothelioma…

In the early 20th century, many researchers and scientists began linking asbestos exposure to developing mesothelioma, a rare but deadly type of cancer. However, despite their findings, several companies and manufacturers continued to exposure their employees to asbestos every day. Between 1973 and 1989, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) banned several uses of asbestos…

Malignant mesothelioma, a rare type of cancer, takes the lives of approximately 3,000 people each year.1 Mesothelioma develops in “the thin layer of tissue that covers the majority of your internal organs (mesothelium).”2 While treatment options are available, the 5-year survival rates for mesothelioma victims is 16 percent or less for all stages of diagnosis.3…

Since the early 1940s, millions of Americans have been exposed to asbestos fibers in their workplaces and homes.1 Asbestos fibers were praised for their “resistance to heat, fire, and chemicals.”1 They also do not conduct electricity. For these reasons, “asbestos has been used widely in many industries.”1 Prior to several asbestos bans in the 1970s,…

Today, most people know about the dangers of asbestos exposure. A naturally occurring bundle of minerals known for its heat-resistant properties, asbestos has been linked to several types of life-threatening diseases, such as asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma.1 When asbestos fibers are inhaled or swallowed, they can gradually injure the cells of the lungs or…

If someone you love has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, you may be lost for words, overwhelmed by the unfortunate news they just told you. Next, you’ll want to help them in any way you can. First, you should know that mesothelioma is “an aggressive and deadly form of cancer” in the “thin layer of tissue…