Discuss the role of asbestos as a risk factor that would increase a person’s chance in developing a malignant mesothelioma.
Exposure to asbestos is the leading risk factor for developing mesothelioma. The use of asbestos in manufacturing stopped after 1989 once asbestos had been linked to mesothelioma. Up until this time, asbestos had been used in products such as, soundproofing, insulation, patching compounds, ironing board covers and roofing.
Asbestos is a naturally occurring fibrous mineral made of silicate. The two main forms of asbestos are amphiboles (thin, rod-like fibers), and serpentine (pliable and coiled). When asbestos is inhaled it is expelled by first sticking to the mucus in the bronchi, and then being coughed up. While the serpentine fibers are easily cleared, the amphiboles are not easily coughed up. The amphiboles can reach the end of the alveoli and penetrate into the surface lining of the pleura.
The risk of developing a mesothelioma is directly related to how long and how much asbestos the person was exposed to. A mesothelioma may take as many as 20 to 50 years to develop.