| 1980s, under AHERA, schools nationwide removed tons of it. Construction companies were forced to perform abatement before renovations or demolition. There is no doubt that there are very sick people with asbestosis and mesothelioma who were exposed to asbestos. I meet several of them every |
| >Studies had linked mesothelioma to asbestos exposure - with tumors usually >appearing many decades later. Yet 20 percent of victims had no asbestos >exposure. Actually, smokers with heavy asbestos exposure are the most likely to get it. Carcinogens can havwe an additive or multiplicative effect. |
| The hospitals in Cornwall are in sad shape due to the cutbacks by a useless provincial government, and late last year he was sent home a couple of times after complaining of shortness of breath. Finally, in January of this year, he was brought to Ottawa, Ontario where they discovered his left lung was full of fluid. They operated and said they recognized mesothelioma instantly and removed the plurum around the left lung (I think, I am not all that familiar with the procedure). The doctor said he had the cancer for one to two years. |
| > 1980s, under AHERA, schools nationwide removed tons of it. > Construction > companies were forced to perform abatement before renovations or > demolition. > There is no doubt that there are very sick people with asbestosis and > mesothelioma who were exposed to asbestos. I meet several of them every |
| Malignant mesothelioma is a cancer of the lining of the lung, usually induced by long years of exposure to asbestoes. Treatment is very unsatisfactory -- the disease is resistant to radiotherapy and poorly responsive to chemotherapy. In America, we try treatment with adriamycin, taxanes, or platinal but the odds are against success. In a managed care enviroment, I could understand a reluctance to offer anything more than drainage of the fluid, oxygen, and morphine. I dont think your fathers care is wrong since most treatments are likely to be futile. |