Asbestos exposure and mesothelioma – a rare cancer of the lining of the lungs, stomach, and heart – are likely to be linked for many decades to come.

Asbestos, a group of six naturally-occurring minerals, has many positive qualities such as resistance to heat, fire, and chemicals. These attributes made it an attractive addition to construction and insulation materials. But it also has needle-like threads which, when inhaled, often embed in the lining of the lungs, abdominal cavity and heart where they irritate tissues for years before serious illness ensues.

This is known as its latency period. During this period lasting 10-50 years, the irritation can cause swelling, infection, and even genetic mutation. The genetic mutation is the “final straw” of asbestos exposure and mesothelioma diagnosis via the development of one or more related tumors.

According to the National Cancer Institute, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) banned all new uses of asbestos in 1989. Old uses for the product remained on the market after this date, however. It has only been the jury of public opinion that has brought many former uses of this very dangerous product to a close.

While we have decreased our consumption by thousands of metric tons annually, we may still live or work in older buildings with insulation and other pre-1989 construction materials. Asbestos exposure and mesothelioma development is likely to continue long into the future for this reason.

Asbestos Exposure and Mesothelioma – A 9/11 Case Study

The World Trade Center towers, which were destroyed in a terrorist attack on Sept. 11, 2001, were constructed using at minimum 400 tons of asbestos, according to an asbestos.com article.

Because of its affordability, heat and chemical resistance, asbestos was present in both towers’ insulation, drywall, and steel. When all of these materials were destroyed, a dust cloud descended upon New York City that spread far and wide and was toxic to human health.

While many people were affected by this poisonous cloud of dust, nobody was more affected than the first responders and those that sifted through the rubble for days, weeks, and months after the event.

In a related article on the website, it was stated that the recent fifteenth anniversary of the attack has been marked by a huge increase of new cases of cancer.

A particular thoracic surgeon, Dr. Raja Flores, is hoping to be able to lay to rest the relationship between asbestos cancer and mesothelioma for doubters as the number of diagnoses continue to double and triple for people that lived in the region of the twin towers.

Dr. Flores, a mesothelioma specialist who works at Mt. Sinai Medical Center, believes that the recent spike is only a start as the latency period for asbestos exposure and mesothelioma diagnosis can be up to 50 years.

According to data collected last September, approximately 16,000 people diagnosed with a 9/11 related cancer have signed up for the World Trade Center health program.

Of those 16,000, relatively few statistically are mesothelioma or asbestos-related lung cancers. This specialist anticipates that to really start to change on or about twenty-five years after the terrorist attack.