Mesothelioma - A Brief Summary

Mesothelioma is cancer of the mesothelium, which is a membrane that covers most of the internal organs of the human body. The cancer is a disease caused by the genetic mutation of living cells which cause the cells to grow and divide without stopping or any control of cell division. In the case of mesothelioma, the exposure of people to asbestos particles in the air is the primary reason for developing the disease.
This exposure has especially been apparent to people who have had a job working with asbestos products. A history of asbestos exposure at work is related to at about 70 to 80 percent of cases of mesothelioma.

Asbestos is actually a name for a type of minerals that form naturally as bodies of strong and flexible fibers. These fibers can be separated into threads to be worked with or woven. Since the 1940's, millions of Americans had been exposed to asbestos before it was known to cause health problems. The fiber had been used in industrial products such as insulation, roof shingles, brake linings, cement, flooring products, and textiles.