MESOTHELIOMA - GENERAL
The mesothelium is a membrane that surrounds and protects the internal organs. It is found in particular at:
lungs (the pleura)
of the heart (the pericardium)
intestines (the peritoneum)
testes
ovaries
Frequency
The cancer of the pleura , called malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), alone accounts for more than 80% of mesothelioma . In the rest of this page, we will expose the information related to this particular type of mesothelioma.
More than 85% of MPM cases are due to asbestos exposure .
The MPM affects more men than women.
The MPM is most often diagnosed around the age of 60.
It is a rare disease that affected 271 people in Belgium in 2016.
This figure has increased by around 25% per year since the 1990s and will peak around 2020 (the latency of this disease is very long, up to 40 years after the beginning of exposure to asbestos).
Causes and risk factors of mesothelioma
Exposure to asbestos is a major risk of mesothelioma. The inhalation or ingestion of asbestos fibers suspended in the air is at the origin of mesotheliomas or cancers:
- of the pleura (external envelope of the lungs)
- peritoneum (membrane surrounding the abdominal cavity)
The association between mesothelioma and exposure to asbestos fibers was mentioned in the mid-1940s and has been demonstrated since 1960. In Belgium, the first legislation prohibiting the use of asbestos dates back to the 1980s.
Other risk factors
Other risk factors are:
- other natural or industrial fibers (ceramics)
- the existence of chronic inflammatory processes
- exposure to beryllium and a number of chemical carcinogens
The risks mainly concern people active in the
- Asbestos production
- shipbuilding
- building insulation (before the asbestos ban comes into force)
- decontamination if the sites are poorly managed
In the specific case of asbestos, any person (family included) in contact with the worker's professional clothing incurs a risk of mesothelioma. Indeed, these work clothes are also contaminated by asbestos.
أضف تعليق