The area of Swindon, UK has seen years of British Railway work in its history. Unfortunately included in the rail works was toxic chemical asbestos, which was used in components of railway engines and associated equipment. Asbestos was prevalent in Swindon area railway works and commonly handled by workers in the area.
Asbestos causes several severe respiratory illnesses, including rare cancer mesothelioma. So many cases of mesothelioma have been diagnosed in former Swindon workers that the rare cancer has gained the nickname “Swindon disease.” Sadly, current Swindon Mayor Rex Barnett is the most recent patient of “Swindon disease.”
Diagnosed earlier this year with mesothelioma, it is believed Mayor Barnett began developing the disease during his employment with British Railway in the 1950s and 1960s. Mayor Barnett worked on repairs at the time that exposed him to asbestos fibers.
Characteristically, Mayor Barnett has undergone a long latency period, during which time malignant mesothelioma tumors spread through protective organ lining in irregular web like fashion.
Mesothelioma affects a growing number of people worldwide, according to World Health Organization. Although asbestos regulations have become more and more stringent in many countries, including UK, US, Australia and Japan, dozens of developing countries continue to use the toxic material without enforced safety precautions. About twenty thousand cases are currently reported annually; health officials estimate this number will quickly rise to ninety thousand if asbestos use is not halted.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Philadelphia legend succumbs to mesothelioma
The death of Frank Bender has left a hole in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he was a prominent and well-respected local celebrity. Bender created clay busts of John and Jane Does solely by examining their skeletal remains, thereby helping investigators identify dozens of corpses. He was arguably the world's best-known forensic sculptor, until mesothelioma, a rare cancer of the protective lining of the body’s major organs and cavities caused by prolonged asbestos exposure, claimed his life.
Bender suffered from the most common type of this fatal cancer, pleural mesothelioma, which specifically affects the lining of the lungs. Bender suspected that he’d been exposed to asbestos while sleeping in a Navy destroyer escort's engine room in the 1950’s. Asbestos is used in shipbuilding, and navy mesothelioma, which affects many veterans, is a known result of living asbestos use in military vessels.
When Bender’s mesothelioma was diagnosed, doctors gave him only eight months to live, a not uncommon prognosis. That was in 2009. Bender remained healthy and very active through the first half of 2011, but by the beginning of the summer, his health began to deteriorate. Despite losing a large amount of weight and having increased difficulty breathing, Bender, at the age of 70, was determined to work one final case, that of a woman whose remains had been found a decade ago near Easton, Pennsylvania.
"I always wanted to serve a purpose," said Bender prior to his death. "It's only now I've realized what I've done." Although the artist will be greatly missed, it is comforting to know that he lived life to the fullest, inspired those around him and left his mark.
source: mesothelioma.com
Bender suffered from the most common type of this fatal cancer, pleural mesothelioma, which specifically affects the lining of the lungs. Bender suspected that he’d been exposed to asbestos while sleeping in a Navy destroyer escort's engine room in the 1950’s. Asbestos is used in shipbuilding, and navy mesothelioma, which affects many veterans, is a known result of living asbestos use in military vessels.
When Bender’s mesothelioma was diagnosed, doctors gave him only eight months to live, a not uncommon prognosis. That was in 2009. Bender remained healthy and very active through the first half of 2011, but by the beginning of the summer, his health began to deteriorate. Despite losing a large amount of weight and having increased difficulty breathing, Bender, at the age of 70, was determined to work one final case, that of a woman whose remains had been found a decade ago near Easton, Pennsylvania.
"I always wanted to serve a purpose," said Bender prior to his death. "It's only now I've realized what I've done." Although the artist will be greatly missed, it is comforting to know that he lived life to the fullest, inspired those around him and left his mark.
source: mesothelioma.com
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Mesothelioma and other cancers not covered by Zadroga Bill
When the planes crashed into New York City’s World Trade Center, causing their eventual collapse, a cloud of toxic dust settled over Manhattan. Asbestos was just one of many chemical hazards that could be found floating in the air. This dangerous mineral fiber was used to manufacture a wide variety of construction materials throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, and prolonged exposure causes such fatal diseases as asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma, a rare cancer of the protective lining of the lungs, heart, chest and abdomen.
Chief Medical Officer of the Bureau of Health Services compiled a post-9/11 report that noted that 99% of all responding firefighters have since reported at least one respiratory illness related to working at ground zero. Plus New York residents have also seen an increase in respiratory issues since the attacks. Only 10 years later has the US government responded to treating 9/11 first responders by finally passing the Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Law.
Chief Medical Officer of the Bureau of Health Services compiled a post-9/11 report that noted that 99% of all responding firefighters have since reported at least one respiratory illness related to working at ground zero. Plus New York residents have also seen an increase in respiratory issues since the attacks. Only 10 years later has the US government responded to treating 9/11 first responders by finally passing the Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Law.
Former mayor campaigns for radiotherapy unit
The 72-year-old former mayor of Swindon, England, Rex Barnett, was diagnosed with mesothelioma in May, during his final week in office. This rare cancer of the protective lining of the body’s major cavities and organs is caused almost exclusively by prolonged asbestos exposure. It is believed that Barnett was exposed to asbestos during the eight years he spent working at the British Rail workshops.
The former mayor is suffering specifically from pleural mesothelioma, which affects the lining of the lungs. When microscopic asbestos fibers are inhaled, they lodge in the lungs and remain for decades, causing the slow and silent development of asbestos cancer. Because the cancer is asymptomatic until it reaches stage three or four, it is often goes undetected until it is too late to save the patient’s life, making the average life expectancy for a mesothelioma patient between six and 18 months past diagnosis.
Mayor Barnett is undergoing chemotherapy every three weeks. Mesothelioma treatment usually combines chemotherapy with either surgery or radiotherapy. Although Barnett will not be undergoing radiation, believes a radiotherapy unit in Swindon would be a huge help for the town’s cancer patients.
“Radiotherapy takes just a few minutes to have done, but Oxford is really a long way to go and it is very tiring for patients,” says Barnett. “I know the PCT (Primary Care Trust) have been looking into having radiotherapy here in Swindon for a long time. Everybody would love to have it but there is just a question mark over the amount of cash it is going to cost, plus getting the staff and a suitable building.”
source: mesothelioma.com
The former mayor is suffering specifically from pleural mesothelioma, which affects the lining of the lungs. When microscopic asbestos fibers are inhaled, they lodge in the lungs and remain for decades, causing the slow and silent development of asbestos cancer. Because the cancer is asymptomatic until it reaches stage three or four, it is often goes undetected until it is too late to save the patient’s life, making the average life expectancy for a mesothelioma patient between six and 18 months past diagnosis.
Mayor Barnett is undergoing chemotherapy every three weeks. Mesothelioma treatment usually combines chemotherapy with either surgery or radiotherapy. Although Barnett will not be undergoing radiation, believes a radiotherapy unit in Swindon would be a huge help for the town’s cancer patients.
“Radiotherapy takes just a few minutes to have done, but Oxford is really a long way to go and it is very tiring for patients,” says Barnett. “I know the PCT (Primary Care Trust) have been looking into having radiotherapy here in Swindon for a long time. Everybody would love to have it but there is just a question mark over the amount of cash it is going to cost, plus getting the staff and a suitable building.”
source: mesothelioma.com
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