Houston Mesothelioma Attorney

Almost all mesotheliomas are caused by exposure to asbestos. Asbestos refers to a family of fibrous minerals. Asbestos was once used in many products such as high temperature insulation, drywall mud, insulating cement, fireproofing, patching compounds, paint, and countless other products. Million of Americans have already been exposed to asbestos. Exposure to asbestos particles suspended in air and building materials is much less hazardous except when they are being removed. There are 2 main forms of asbestos – serpentine and amphiboles.
Serpentine fibers are curly and pliable. Chrysotile (white) is the only type of serpentine fiber and it is the most widely used form of asbestos.

Amphiboles are thin, rod-like fibers. There are 5 main types – crocidolite (blue), amosite (brown), anthrophylite, tremolite, and actinolyte. Amphiboles (particularly crocidolite) are considered to be the most carcinogenic (cancer-causing).
However, even the more commonly used chrysotile fibers are associated with malignant (cancerous) mesotheliomas and should be considered dangerous as well.
When asbestos fibers are inhaled, most are cleared by the bodies defenses including the nose, throat, trachea (windpipe), or bronchi (large breathing tubes of the lungs). Fibers are cleared by sticking to mucus inside the air passages and being coughed up or swallowed. Asbestos fibers are microscopic and therefore can get past the bodies defenses and eventually overwhelm the lung. The fibers are like spears that penetrate the lung tissue and may lodge there forever as they are indestructible. These fibers may migrate to the pleura and then directly injure mesothelial cells of the pleura, and eventually cause mesothelioma.
Asbestosis, mesothelioma, and lung cancer are the three most frequent causes of death and disease among people with heavy asbestos exposure. Peritoneal mesothelioma, which forms in the abdomen, may result from coughing up and swallowing inhaled asbestos fibers. Cancers of the larynx, esophagus, stomach, colon, and rectum may also be caused by asbestos exposure, but the increased risk is less than lung cancer or mesothelioma.
The risk of developing a mesothelioma is related to how much asbestos a person was exposed to and how long this exposure lasted. People exposed at an early age, for a long period of time, and at higher levels are most likely to develop this cancer. Mesotheliomas take a long time to develop. The time between first exposure to asbestos and diagnosis of mesothelioma is usually between 20 and 50 years.

More information about mesothelioma and the Role of Asbestos

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