History of Mesothelioma
Posted on: October 2, 2023 *Updated on: December 1, 2023Mesothelioma was known as a tumor of the pleura, peritoneum and pericardium in the later part of the 1700’s.
But, in 1960, mesothelioma was described in more detail and it’s first relationship to asbestos was recognized.
The first ever mesothelioma report that linked it to asbestos exposure was written by J.C. Wager.
It described 32 cases of workers in South Africa, in a place called “Asbestos hills.”
Since then, the relationship between mesothelioma and asbestos exposure has been confirmed and known in studies all around the globe.
60 year old men are to be the most common victims of mesothelioma. However, there are many cases of women getting mesothelioma.
The cause of the disease is not so well understood in women, since we would expect male workers to work in construction and shipping jobs and not women, but there is evidence of possible asbestos exposure in women due to the clothing their partner or father brought home from work. Furthermore, kids may have played or been in contact with asbestos accidently as children in older homes.
14 cases per one million people per year. That’s what the incidence of mesothelioma is in the United States of America.
Between 1970 and 1984, cases of mesothelioma increased and these cases were associated with environmental and occupational exposure to asbestos. This is mostly in areas of asbestos product plants and shipbuilding amenities.