How much danger would you say a bicyclist in a big American city would be in, in regards to contracting lung cancer, from breathing the particles of asbestos that come off the brake shoes of cars, that are constantly all around him, while he rides his bike? And I mean, yes, he shares the road with the traffic. Let's say he rides every day, unless it is raining or there's a blizzard outside.

Copyright (c) 2008 Katie Kelley

During the holiday shopping season of 2007, an asbestos watchdog group known as the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization uncovered a children's toy containing elements of asbestos, which is a cancer-causing fiber.

While production of the toy has ceased, an article from The New York Times in April 2008 elaborated on the near forgotten incident. Currently, litigation has been developed in the Los Angeles Superior Court between ADAO and CBS Corporation, Planet Toys Inc. (manufacturers of the CSI Fingerprint Examination Kit) and several retailers for their involvement in the sale of the asbestos-tainted toy. Families affected by the contaminated toy should also consider developing litigation for the exposure of "substantial quantities of tremolite asbestos."

The ADAO has also continued its testing of other products and found several containing asbestos, including additional children's toys.

ADAO is an organization that utilizes volunteers, several of whom have either been affected directly by asbestos-related illnesses or have watched friends and family suffer from the diseases, including mesothelioma. The organization funds research that may affect public health, and the group acts as a watchdog for asbestos-tainted products or violations of asbestos policies, which have been set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

What is Asbestos?

Asbestos is considered a human carcinogen by the federal Department of Health and Human Services and is a "naturally occurring, fibrous silicate mineral," according to the EPA. Asbestos becomes deadly when microscopic fiber bundles bind and become airborne.

When inhaled, the results can be deadly and severely damage an individual's body through the development of mesothelioma cancer. In addition to mesothelioma, asbestos can cause lung cancer or asbestosis, in which fibrous tissue scars the lungs.

Asbestos that was mined was used in an array of industries, according to the EPA:

* thermal/acoustic insulator used for fire proofing

* roofing and siding shingles made with asbestos cement

* textured paint and patching compounds used on wall and ceiling joints

* artificial ashes and embers for gas-fired fireplaces

* stove-top pads

* vinyl floor tiles, flooring and adhesives

* asbestos blanket or tape for hot water and steam pipes

* oil and coal furnaces

Asbestos-Affected Children's Toys

Tracing asbestos can be a difficult process because it is often overlooked, especially since it is not a common ingredient in manufacturing products anymore, although, it was at one time. The ADAO has been testing thousands of products for the contamination of asbestos in toys as well as regular products. Currently, they have determined several toys to have had trace amounts of asbestos including:

* CSI Fingerprint Examination Kit

* Ja-Ru Toy Clay (found among three varieties of the product)

* Art Skills' Clay Bucket (asbestos found in six colors of clay)

Additionally, there are several other products the ADAO found with asbestos traces that are not directly related to children's toys, but could still affect a child's health. One of the major concerns is use of talc baby powder on babies, which could contain small amounts of asbestos. Other products that have been found with asbestos contamination, according to the ADAO, include:

* Scotch High Performance and All Weather Duct tapes

* DAP Crack Shot Spackling Paste

* DAP 33 Window Glazing

* Gardner Leak Stopper

The organization also found that hair rollers, hot plates, powdered cleansers and small appliances were at risk for adversely affecting public health with asbestos fibers. The organization noted that these products are all being sold at national retail chains including:

* Wal-Mart

* Costco

* Toys "R" Us

* Home Depot

* Lowe's

* Macy's

* Bed Bath & Beyond

* CVS

Consumer Affairs, a Web-based consumer news and resource center, issued the following tips to assist parents, relatives and friends with purchasing toys for children, in order to better protect children from asbestos exposure. The list includes the following:

* Be a vigilant shopper and read all warnings that may include a toy breaking, containing small parts or fire and choking hazards.

* Read product reviews that are both done by independent panels and consumers.

* Research information on the most recent product recalls.

* Inspect toys; any toys that are broken should be thrown away.

* Research how, where and when a product was created.

What to do if Your Child is Exposed to Asbestos

If a child is exposed or even may have potentially been exposed to asbestos containing tremolite, it is imperative that medical assistance is sought immediately. Because of the nature of asbestos-induced conditions, if a child is exposed to asbestos and goes untreated as if everything were fine, they could develop mesothelioma cancer years later, which is why immediate medical care is advisable.

Because asbestos exposure among children is considered extremely avoidable, developing a lawsuit for damages incurred may be a necessary step. Victims should located an experienced mesothelioma attorney to learn more about developing a mesothelioma lawsuit.

I recently moved into an older home. the upstairs was finished, with tile flooring. They were coming loose in many spots, so i put on a dust mask and removed them all. After my parents came over, my dad told me they were probably asbestos tile (9x9 inch). I disposed of them properly, but am wondering if i am going to get lung cancer from this in 10 or 20 years?

I have never before been exposed to asbestos in any way (automotive, school or another house)

thanks in advance

In a New York Times article Dealing Safely With Asbestos, 9/10/08, the EPA spokesman and others recommend covering floors containing asbestos with new wood floors or carpeting rather than removing the tiles. However this does not release the home owner from having to include asbestos on the "dangerous materials" disclosure list which makes it practicaly impossible to sell the property. Is there any way to overcome this problem? Jackie

Many documents have provided overwhelming evidence that there is a relationship between asbestos exposure and serious health problems. Companies that mined asbestos and/or manufactured products that contained asbestos have known that they were subjecting their employees to life-threatening illnesses for more than 100 years.

There is undeniable evidence that by the 1930s asbestos manufacturers were well aware that exposure to asbestos had fatal implications. For example, Aetna Insurance, in 1934, noted that exposure to asbestos leads to "permanent disability followed by death."

Before the 1950s the medical community accepted the fact that asbestos exposure could cause mesothelioma, asbestosis, and lung cancer. In 1949, a document from the Standard Oil Co. (now Exxon) declared that there was a causal relationship between lung cancer and asbestos exposure.

Yet even in the light of such evidence, asbestos companies refused to admit to the public that there was any such connection.

And, rather than adopting the requisite safety standards or providing protective clothing and breathing apparatuses to their employees, they actually concealed the truth from their employees as well from the public. Some asbestos companies went so far as to rewrite studies that indicated that dangers existed.

The asbestos companies were determined to conceal the hazards as best they could.

An internal document from National Gypsum Co. in 1958 said, "a€¦just as certain as death and taxes is the fact that if you inhale asbestos dust you will get asbestosis."

When employees spoke out about the dangers of asbestos they were often terminated. For example, Philip Carey Manufacturing hired a doctor to report asbestos hazards. After the doctor established an association between asbestos and cancer in 1964, the doctor was fired.

In 1966, in an affront to every asbestos industry worker, the purchasing director of Bendix Corp. wrote in a letter sent to Canadian Johns Manville, "a€¦if you have enjoyed a good life while working with asbestos products, why not die from it?"

Then, in an internal memo in 1972 a W.R. Grace executive stated, "Our present policy is to tell no one anything." In 1973, Union Carbide told its personnel to tell customers that "asbestos is not a carcinogen."

That same year, Union Carbide's medical department advised the company not to downplay the dangers of asbestos in its marketing campaigns. The advice fell upon deaf ears.

Also in 1973, during a meeting of the Asbestos Textile Industry, asbestos industry representatives said that in the future thousands will face fatal consequences. However, they added that "the good news" is that "few people have been paying attention."

DuPont was still trying to bury the facts in 1980 when it asked that "asbestos" should be removed from physician's X-ray stamps and replaced with the word "irritant."

If you have an asbestos-related disease and would like to hold the company that caused your illness accountable, you may want to consider hiring a mesothelioma lawyer to help you seek justice for the harm caused you and your loved ones.

If so, how long did / have they lived with this type of cancer? And at what stage were they when diagnosed?
Cam---I am so sorry Darlin'...did not know that was the type Nancy had.

Fal-- Thanks, that means a lot.

HipLady-- That is what we are looking at with my step-mother-in-law

I was vacuuming asbestos with a shop vac, all the rocks and debris from a pipe were breaking up and cause my vac to expel the dust into the air. I was in the basement for about 3 hrs breathing it in. Can I get sick from this?

Has anyone here ever gotten lung cancer from smoking ONLY marijuana? If youve been exposed to asbestos and radon gas heavily please dont respond. Pleas be truthful no point in lying.
How about emphysema ?

http://www.americanmarijuana.org/

scroll down to were it says
How Cannabis Fights Cancer
and click on download pdf then click on read story

also read this

http://americanmarijuana.org/pot.shrinks.tumors.html
OK AGAIN, HAS ANYONE HERE EVER GOTTEN LUNG CANCER FROM ONLY WEED SMOKING, I KNOW SMOKING IS BAD DONT RESPOND UNLESS YOU HAVE GOTTEN CANCER OR EMPHYZEMA FROM SMOKING WEED ONLY.

Comforting someone who has developed mesothelioma can be a difficult task. Indeed, this rare type of cancer can cause deep emotional pain, and this emotional strife mixed with the physical realities of the disease can be overwhelming for the individual suffering from mesothelioma. However, if someone else's negligence is to blame for all of this pain and suffering, then some easing to the suffering can be experienced through a suitable mesothelioma settlement.

Litigation is never an easy thing to engage in, and although no family really wants to go through the stress of the litigation process, in many cases, taking legal action is the only way in which appropriate compensation can be gained for the immense suffering sustained. It can be said that in a number of mesothelioma cases, litigation may be the only way in which those suffering from the mesothelioma and their families can receive justice for the misery being experienced; however, in order to have the best chance at receiving the most appropriate compensation and justice possible, the help of a mesothelioma attorney will no doubt be needed.

Are you or a loved one suffering from mesothelioma which you suspect was caused by someone else's negligence? No matter how you believe you or your loved one was exposed to asbestos or other mesothelioma-causing material, if someone else's negligence allowed for the mesothelioma to develop, then appropriate compensation for all of the physical, emotional, and financial suffering can be gained. However, proving that someone else is responsible for tremendous suffering may be a big challenge, especially in the case where mesothelioma has developed as it's the case the mesothelioma symptoms and a diagnosis may not occur until many years and even perhaps decades after first being exposed to asbestos or other fibrous material. Needless to say, the next step that you should take is to contact a qualified attorney as a legal professional will be able to help uncover the truth regarding your or your loved one's suffering, and if someone else is responsible for the suffering sustained, then your attorney will surely do everything possible so that appropriate compensation can be gained.

Gain the chance at receiving justice for you or your loved one! Get in touch with the Law Offices of Chandler, Mathis & Zivley, PC today and speak to an attorney who can help. Also be sure to continue browsing through the rest of the Mesothelioma Information and Support Center website for more information regarding mesothelioma settlement.