Early Reports of rising Mesothelioma
Most people do not realize it, but there were published medical reports that detailed how the fibers from asbestos could cause a variety of lung diseases. As early as 1906 a case was reported of a person dying from fibrosis, a disease related to asbestos exposure.
By the 1930s asbestos mining was in full swing and asbestos was being transported to locations around the world. It was mined in the US, the UK, Canada, Australia and many other places in the world for export and domestic use. It was obvious by then that there were serious health hazards to working with and the production of asbestos.
Fibrosis and asbestosis were diseases that cropped up at many asbestos plants and there were so many cases noted that the government in Great Britain did a survey of their plant workers. What they found was what had been widely assumed in medical circles, people who work with asbestos for 10 years or more were at significant risk of having asbestos related illnesses. It was found that those most at risk were the people who handled the asbestos directly or who worked in or around the dust from production.
What Was Known about Asebestos and Mesothelioma
Following the reports from medical research, it was understood that the best way to stem the possibility of asbestos related disease was by taking protective measures for the workers. This meant using protective clothing and keeping the amount of dust produced to a minimum.
What could have been an easy fix to a big problem went largely ignored by the asbestos producers and put the people who worked in the factories at risk of various fiber-related diseases, including what is now termed mesothelioma.
The link between asbestos fibers and such illnesses as fibrosis and asbestosis was clear even in the 1930s, but an obvious link between mesothelioma and asbestos took a considerably longer period to develop. Lung diseases, such as cancers and tuberculosis, have a lot of the same symptoms which can cause a great deal of confusion regarding the actual catalyst.
Also, smoking was on the rise during the period in which mesothelioma began to be seen and it was often presumed that the problems noted were associated with smoking. The biggest hurdle to proving the link comes with the extended latency period. The disease sometimes will not present any symptoms until as many as 50 years after exposure. By this time, many of the victims of the
disease had multiple ailments and likely did not consider work from so long ago as being able to affect their current health.
South African Cover Up of Mesothelioma and Asbestos in the industry
By the late 1950s and early 1960s the world was deeply involved in asbestos trading. There were mines located in the far flung corners of the world producing the fibrous minerals for export.
A South African medical study noted, in 1959, that a large percentage of mine workers were found to have been afflicted with mesothelioma. The study further suggested that the disease was caused by the asbestos production which worried the heads of the industry immensely. Rather than taking any proscribed safety precautions to shield workers from the potential disease, the captains of industry chose to cover up the study which could ruin their fortune making business scheme.
Following the results of the study, the researchers on the project found that their funding was cut off and the study was blocked from public release. Additionally, at least one researcher (Chris Wagner) was under such intense pressure from people in the industry and government that he never bothered with mesothelioma research again.
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