Guest Blogger, Trevor Bradshaw talks about mesothelioma.

Great little exhibit at the OMSI about nanotechnology.

Since we are getting tormented by pink everywhere we look and since most of already know that October is officially "Breast Cancer Awareness" month, I would like to take this opportunity to talk about cancer in general by raising awareness about yet another type of cancer that is equally as deadly as breast cancer but one that doesn't get all the attention (no boobies here)....This is mesothelioma.  I have a very concerned guest blogger this morning who has some great information to share with us.

Many thanks to Trevor Bradshaw for his enlightening and heart felt article about another cancer...mesothelioma.  Please enjoy and much peace, love, light, joy, happiness and health to all.

Mesothelioma and other Preventable Cancers

We are always bombarded with information about how important early awareness is to a healthy cancer recovery, and it’s true you have a much, much higher chance of survival the sooner a tumor is discovered and cancer is diagnosed.  However, there’s an even earlier awareness we ought to pay attention to- the environmental causes of several deadly cancers that could be eradicated completely with the right precautions like mesothelioma. 

What is mesothelioma? Mesothelioma is a rare but deadly cancer of the lining of the internal organs that’s only known cause is exposure to asbestos.  Asbestos, which was once marketed as a wonder material for its cheapness, versatility, and flame-resistance, is made up of small, microscopic fibers.  When these fibers, which oftentimes flake off, are inhaled they agitate the inner lining of the body, called the mesothelium, and even a single microscopic fiber can cause cancer.   

             While you may suspect that because mesothelioma kills nearly 100,000 people worldwide each year the production of asbestos would have stopped but several developing countries including India still use asbestos as common construction material. In fact earlier in this year, even as doctors conducting mesothelioma clinical trials were spending millions to search for a more effective treatment for this deadly cancer, Canada reopened the world’s largest asbestos mine, the Jeffery Mine.  It’s outrageous that if we want to prevent cancer that even though asbestos has been a known deadly carcinogen for years it is still being produced. 

And it’s not only mesothelioma either.  Cervical cancer has long been linked to HPV, a sexually transmitted disease that can be prevented with a vaccine, yet is still one of the most prevalent cancers in the United States. Strong campaigns against cigarettes and tanning beds have proven that people are willing to acknowledge the risks associated with cancer-causing behaviors. It’s time we turn our focus from simply aiming at providing information about the importance of screenings and the early detection of cancer, and start thinking about how we can further work to prevent cancer from occurring in the first place.