UK Mayor ends term with mesothelioma diagnosis

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.

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