Everyone living on earth, at one point or the other, might have been exposed to asbestos, either in the air they breathe in or the water they drink or from the asbestos wastes lying all over the place. But most of the people exposed to asbestos in these ways seldom suffer from mesothelioma. People who are diagnosed of mesothelioma are those who have worked in factories where the asbestos sheets are produced or those people who have been exposed to asbestos products for a longer period of time. The family members of the workers of the asbestos factories may suffer from lesser symptoms of mesothelioma through the clothing, skin or hair of the worker. The symptoms of mesothelioma will not be seen immediately after exposure to asbestos and will be exposed only after many years.


It is revealed that 9 out of the 10 cases of mesothelioma are due to exposure to asbestos. Asbestos is a natural mineral and is made up of tiny fibers which can be as strong as steel or can be woven like cotton as well. The tiny fibers of the asbestos are the main culprits that cause mesothelioma in human beings. When you breathe in these tiny fibers, they enter your lungs and cause inflammation and finally may result in cancer.


Since the asbestos fibers are very thin, they can easily make their way through the smallest of airways inside the lungs and hence cannot be taken out through cough or hard breath. The defense mechanism of the body will try to remove the fibers of asbestos inside the body, but it is highly unlikely and these fibers penetrate deep into the lungs and settle on the pleura, the membrane around the lungs. After many years they seem to cause inflammation in the lung which may result in mesothelioma.


The most common people suffering from mesothelioma are: construction workers, plumbers, electricians, demolition workers, workers of asbestos factories and their families and people staying near these asbestos factories. There are three types of asbestos of which the brown and the blue asbestos have been most commonly linked to mesothelioma. Recent studies have revealed that even the white asbestos are harmful in causing mesothelioma. It is very difficult to actually find the true cause for mesothelioma, as it will only develop after 10 to 60 years of exposure to asbestos fibers.


It is a rare sight to see a person affected by mesothelioma who has never been exposed to asbestos. No other cause for mesothelioma has been diagnosed so far. There is no evidence to prove that smoking is one of the causes of mesothelioma either, as is the case with other types of lung cancers. Mesothelioma is a non-contagious disease and hence cannot be passed on to another person. It is not a hereditary disease as well. Family members of a person who suffered from mesothelioma will not inherit the disease and there is no way that anyone within the family will get it. So, as of now, the main and the only proven cause of mesothelioma is when a person comes into contact with asbestos for a long period of time.