Mesothelioma is a cancer of the lining of the lung. Over eighty percent (85%) of mesothelioma cases are caused by exposure to asbestos. As to the remaining 15% of mesothelioma cases, it is thought that they may be caused by unidentified exposures to asbestos or, possibly, exposure to polio vaccine that was contaminated with the SV40 virus.
There are two types of mesothelioma: pleural mesothelioma and peritoneal mesothelioma. Pleural mesothelioma is a cancer of the outer lining of the lung and chest cavity. Peritoneal mesothelioma is a cancer of the lining of the abdominal wall. There can be a lag time, know as the latency period, of 10-60 years between the time of the asbestos exposure and the appearance of mesothelioma. Normally, this latency period is between ten and thirty years.
People who worked around the dust from asbestos-containing products have an increased risk of suffering mesothelioma. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) cites shipyards that used asbestos, places that manufactured asbestos products or installation sites as environments whose workers have an increased risk of mesothelioma. People who did not work with asbestos, but lived with someone who did, have also been diagnosed with mesothelioma. Also, people who lived near asbestos mining areas, asbestos product factories or near naval shipyards that produced large quantities of airborne asbestos fibers, but did not work with asbestos themselves, have been diagnosed with mesothelioma.
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