What causes mesothelioma?
Exposure to asbestos has been found to be the leading cause of mesothelioma. Microscopic particles from asbestos are breathed in and travel through the airways to the alveoli. Once there, they cause damage to the cells which can cause a mesothelial cancer to form in the pleural cavity. Peritoneal mesothelioma occurs when asbestos particles are swallowed.
There have been a few documented cases of mesothelioma in people who were exposed to thorium dioxide, which was used in the past for certain types of x-rays. This has not been used for many years because of its known link to cancer.
The Simian virus has been found to cause mesothelioma in animal studies. Polio vaccines administered from the mid-1950’s to early 1960’s were found to be contaminated with this virus, though there is no definitive link between the vaccines administered during this time period and mesothelioma.