| |
FACTS & FIGURES
- Each year 2,500 to 4,000 patients in the
U.S.
are diagnosed with mesothelioma and asbestos-related diseases.
- Mesothelioma has a long latency (inactive)
period of anywhere between 10 – 70 years.
- Experts predict that mesothelioma diagnoses
will continue to increase in the
United States
for at least another 10 to 20 years.
- While many countries have banned certain forms
of asbestos, an estimated 5,000 asbestos-containing products exist today. (See
a list of dangerous products)
Article/Commentary: A Ban on Asbestos Must be Based on a Comparative Risk Assessment.
(Canada)
- As many as 8 million people in the U.S. have
already been exposed to asbestos and it continues to pose a serious threat to
workers in certain occupations. (Click
here for a list of at risk occupations)
- One study of asbestos insulation workers
reported a mesothelioma death rate up to 344 times higher than the general
population.
- Most mesothelioma victims die within 18 months
of diagnosis. Mortality is swift not because the cancer is fast-growing but
because it usually is far advanced by the time it is detected.
Read about the development of a blood test for
Mesothelioma diagnosis; Visit our
Mesothelioma Articles.
-
Poor prognostic variables include:
nonepithelial histology, older age (greater than 75 years), pleural primary,
chest pain at presentation, poor performance status, and elevated platelet
count (greater than 400,000/mcL).
-
By the year 2030 there are estimates
that asbestos will have caused 60,000 instances of mesothelioma and around
250,000 other cancers that result in death.
- Over half a million asbestos and mesothelioma
injury claims have been filed to date. Over 50,000 were filed in 1998 alone.
Read more about your legal rights and how to obtain a lawyer in our
Legal Help section.
|
|
|
|
|
