What Causes Mesothelioma? – Better Understanding of This Dangerous Disease

One of the rarest yet most deadly forms of cancer, it is of the utmost importance that you do absolutely everything you can to get out ahead of mesothelioma, a form of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos.

It’s also important that you understand exactly what you’re dealing with when it comes time to fight this disease, leveraging all that modern medicine and research has to offer in your battle against this insidious form of cancer. By better understanding the root cause of mesothelioma (and looking for its symptoms) you’ll be able to prevent this cancer from spreading any further and robbing you of the happy and healthy lifestyle you deserve.

What Causes Mesothelioma?

Though doctors and medical researchers are always trying to better understand this form of cancer, so far, after decades of research, the only scientifically proven what causes mesothelioma is exposure to asbestos.

Asbestos was a very, very common construction material up until a few short decades ago. Prized for its ability to withstand extremely high temperatures, as well as its ability to effectively stand up against Mother Nature when used as siding on homes and buildings, it wasn’t until much later that scientists began to understand the link between asbestos and mesothelioma – at which point asbestos was banned for use across the board.

In the most common situations, the fibers of asbestos are inhaled by those in close proximity to the material, those working with the material, or those disposing of the material. The fibers in bed themselves into the gentle linings of your lungs, your abdomen, and even your heart, causing a tremendous amount of inflammation that eventually grows into cancerous tumors.

The chemicals in asbestos have also been discovered to radically damage DNA in both a direct and indirect manner. Destroying the ability for cells to replicate, while mutating cells and literally transforming them from healthy cells to cancerous cells almost immediately, asbestos is a serious danger even still today.

What Else May Contribute to Mesothelioma?

As highlighted above, scientists have only been able to prove asbestos causes mesothelioma – but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t a whole host of issues that can contribute to the problems asbestos causes in the body.

For starters, there are a variety of other silicate minerals out there (like asbestos) that share many of the same properties and cause many of the same issues in the human body. If you’ve been exposed to these silicate minerals as well you’re likely going to deal with mesothelioma issues, too.

Smoking, exposure to radiation, and even exposure to carbon nanotubes have also been proven to have a transformative impact on the damage asbestos does to the human body.

Different lifestyle decisions, avoiding exposure to radiation and carbon nanotubes, and generally promoting a healthier lifestyle on a day to day basis can help you mitigate and manage mesothelioma – but really you’ll want to get out ahead of this issue as quickly as possible (with the help of medical professionals) and destroy it before it has a chance to fester.