What is Asbestos and Where Has it Commonly Been Used

Asbestos is a natural fibrous mineral, and it is mined in a number of countries across the world. Historically, it has been a popular mineral to use in construction due to the fact that it is durable, flexible, resistant to chemical attack, an excellent insulator and able to withstand high temperatures. Even the name itself comes from the Greek language where it means 'un-extinguishable'.

In the UK, asbestos has been used since the industrial revolution when it was first used as insulation. Since then, it has been used in various applications such as fire retardant coatings, bricks, pipe lagging and lining of boilers.

There are three main forms of asbestos that occur naturally. The first is known as 'chrysotile', or white asbestos, and is by far the most commonly used type. It was usually mixed with cement to form corrugated roof sheets, or used to make flat sheets for walls and floors. Extremely flexible, it can be spun and woven like cloth which made it ideal as pipe insulation or even fireproof clothing. Considered to be dangerous to health, it was banned from the UK in 1999. It is estimated that this type accounts for up to 95% of all asbestos found in buildings.

The second type of asbestos is called 'amosite', or brown asbestos. In buildings it is most commonly found covering steel as fire protection or in walls as sound proofing. This type of asbestos is also considered harmful, and the import of amosite was banned in 1986.

The third form of asbestos is called 'crocidolite', or blue asbestos. It is a harder and less flexible form than the other types, but it is extremely strong and has a high acid resistance. It is considered to be the most dangerous of all asbestos types, and its use was strictly controlled from 1969 until it was finally banned in 1986.

It is essential that when asbestos it is found it is removed and disposed of correctly by a professional, licensed asbestos removal company, as the removal process can expose you to health risks if the correct procedures are not followed.

As asbestos has been used for over a century, it has been included in thousands of products. The list below gives some of the common uses for asbestos containing products so that you know what to be careful of when carrying out alterations to a property. While asbestos is generally safe if left alone, any damage can lead to the release of fibres which are dangerous to health.

Roof tiles and panels - asbestos is commonly found mixed with concrete to make either flat or corrugated panels. They are often seen as the roofs or walls of outbuildings and garages.

Roofing felt - asbestos can be found combined with bitumen in the felt often found covering flat roofs, where it gives flexibility and insulation. Some bitumen products containing asbestos were also used to make guttering.

Lagging - adding asbestos to cloth allowed it to be used to lag pipework and prevent heat loss or frost damage. Similar material was also used for fire blankets and some protective clothing.

Sound proofing - sprayed asbestos can often be found in under floors and in ceiling voids where it acts to prevent noise pollution.

Electrical insulation - Asbestos paper has been used to wrap electrical cabling and as the back of fuse boxes because of its non-flammable properties.

Spray coating - spraying asbestos on structural components of buildings provides protections against damage from heat and cold.

Loose packing - wall and ceiling cavities in older buildings may contain asbestos as it was frequently used as insulation.

Door linings - a flat sheet of asbestos under door panels provides resistance in the event of fire.

While this list gives you an idea of what to look for, it is not complete and if you are in any doubt a qualified asbestos surveyor should be contacted for advice. They will be able to assess the situation and advise you accordingly. If in any doubt ask a professional asbestos removal company to undertake an asbestos survey so that you are certain of what you dealing with before you start removing anything that could significantly harm your health.
http://ezinearticles.com/?What-is-Asbestos-and-Where-Has-it-Commonly-Been-Used&id=2408553

Skin Cancer Warning Signs - Five Signs and How to Prevent Skin Cancer

Why is it important to know the five signs of skin cancer? It is important to know them because once you know the skin cancer warning signs, you can save yourself from getting worse. And if you do not have the signs, you should learn how to prevent it. This article will tell you what the five skin cancer warning signs are and how to prevent skin cancer.

The Five signs:

* You see a sore or spot on your skin for more than a month straight without healing
* You see a spot or experience a sore that itches, hurt, scab, crust or bleeding more than a month
* You see or experience an area of the skin that ulcerates or broke down without any obvious cause and does not heal in a month
* You see a shiny pink or red lump on your face, scalp, ears, hands, shoulders or back
* You see pink lumps that may bleed easily and ulcerate. It is often found on the face, neck and limps

These are some skin cancer warning signs and when you know it, you should really get a treatment. However, if you are NOT seeing any signs that you are having cancer, it is always important to prevent it and save yourself and decrease the likelihood. We all know that prevention is better than cure. Read on to learn how to prevent yourself from cancer.

What can you do to prevent cancer?

Studies have shown that those who take Resveratrol have better skin health. Resveratrol is a food supplement that has helps many people in achieving a healthier and better health. It can also help one to lower their blood sugar level significantly. Resveratrol has also been featured in the Oprah program and on other TV programs as well. It is also perfect for anyone who wishes to lose weight. Read below to find out more about what are the health benefits of Resveratrol.

What are health benefits of Resveratrol:

* Increase lifespan
* Prevent likelihood of having cancer
* More athletic nature
* Radiation protection
* Reduce Neurodegenerative Disease

These are just some of the benefits of Resveratrol. Its ability to cure sickness and prevent cancer has made it really popular in the market. Do not wait for the skin cancer warning signs to show up, prevent it as soon as possible with the help of Resveratrol.
http://ezinearticles.com/?Skin-Cancer-Warning-Signs---Five-Signs-and-How-to-Prevent-Skin-Cancer&id=2254326

Misdiagnosis of Breast Cancer

In the U.S. close to 250,000 cases of breast cancer are being diagnosed every year. For women, this is the most common type diagnosed. This cancer is also one of the most misdiagnosis.

With the appropriate diagnosis and treatments, the survival rate increases for women. In addition, if the diagnosis does not happen early, the possible damage caused increases. There are also times when the misdiagnosis that occurs is that, in reality, there is no cancer at all. Women have gone through chemotherapy, radiation, and other treatments when they were not needed.

What Causes a Misdiagnosis of Breast Cancer?

Misdiagnosis has many factors that lead to it. This normally includes one or more of the following:

* Radiology/mammography/biopsy mistakes - such as misread results
* Not recognizing symptoms of breast cancer or confusing signs and symptoms with another illness
* Failure to perform necessary tests

Because of misdiagnosis there could be a delay in treatment, not getting the right treatment and in some cases it ends up in death.

Doctors Make Mistakes

In the journal Cancer there was a study published in 2006 that showed disagreements between doctors regarding misdiagnosis of breast cancer. These disagreements range from mammograms interpretation to advising treatments for them.

This study also highlighted the importance of a second opinion in cases regarding the diagnosis in order to decrease the risk of error. Doctors make mistakes and getting a second opinion can make a difference from having a fatal illness and not having a fatal illness.

Some doctors fail to refer their patients to go get a second opinion. It is important to remember other medical staff such as specialists, can make mistakes. Point being, patients who have been misdiagnosis have legal rights and they can take action.

Misdiagnosis and Medical Malpractice

A diagnostic error is a type of medical malpractice. Victims can file a claim against the responsible party. Some compensation victims can claim includes:

* Pain and suffering
* Mental anguish
* Treatment expenses
* Disfigurement
* Loss of companionship/support

If you are a victim of medical malpractice, you have a deadline to file. These statutes of limitations are different in every state. To find out the laws in your state contact an attorney. They will protect your rights.

Contact an Attorney Today

Speak to a medical attorney if you are a victim of any form of misdiagnosis. An attorney protects the right of victims of these cases or any other type of cancer claim. These attorneys have countless success stories regarding compensation for their clients they will answer questions and give you legal advice, so contact an attorney today.
http://ezinearticles.com/?Misdiagnosis-of-Breast-Cancer&id=2189110

New Treatment Options For Breast Cancer Patients

gery. To reduce the possibility of the recurrence of breast cancer, this treatment is given.

Pre-surgical chemotherapy "is to reduce the possibility of a large tumor and / or kill any stray cancer cells. This will also increase the possibility that the surgery will kill the cancer completely.

Regular chemotherapy, "this is usually the people who have breast cancer that has spread beyond the breast or the environment local area.

Hormone therapy may also occur, as many breast cancers, such as those having a broad estrogen or progesterone receptors are sensitive to changes in hormones.

Tamoxifen treatment of breast cancer

Women who are genetically at high risk of developing breast cancer may benefit from tamoxifen as it has previously been seen in reducing the incidence of the disease. Raloxifene, used to treat osteoporosis, is being studied for the treatment of breast cancer.

In some cases of breast cancer, a woman of natural hormones are suppressed with drugs, while other patients find benefits by adding hormones. Tamoxifen, for example, is currently the most commonly prescribed effective hormone treatment. It can be used to treat breast cancer and the prevention of breast cancer. Tamoxifen has few side effects and can significantly improve the lives of women who have advanced cases of breast cancer.

Fulvestrant treatment of breast cancer

Another treatment, Fulvestrant has recently been approved in the U.S.. It is planned to be used for the treatment of hormone receptor positive metastastic breast cancer in women who have been through menopause. Is given following antiestrogen therapy.

Monoclonal breast cancer treatment

Another treatment known as monoclonal antibodies is that they are antagonistic against the proteins, which are in or around the cancer cells. They recognize an invader like a cancer cell and attack him. This antibody therapy is currently being investigated has a lot of hope for those suffering from breast cancer.

Excessive intake of alcohol and obesity after menopause may increase the risk of developing breast cancer, although this increase is slight. Such women are physically active have a lower risk.

Preventive or prophylactic mastectomies

More and more women who are at high risk of developing breast cancer are taking preventive or prophylactic mastectomies to avoid developing breast cancer.

The main risk factors for women to develop breast cancer are age, sex and genetics. The woman can not do anything about some risks in order to prevent death due to breast cancer is recommended with newspapers.

Women should carry out regular screening, including self-examination, mammography and clinical breast exam.

I hope that reading the above information is both fun and educational for you. That is how things stand right now. Keep in mind that any subject can change over time in order to ensure that they keep abreast with the latest news.
http://ezinearticles.com/?New-Treatment-Options-For-Breast-
Cancer-Patients&id=1823906

New Drug Helps Slow Prostate Cancer

An experimental pill that blocks the production of male hormones that fuel prostate cancer may help slow the growth of hard-to-treat tumors.

The novel agent, called abiraterone, shrank tumors by 30% or more in one-fourth of 31 patients whose prostate cancer continued to spread despite standard hormone therapy. In an additional 35% of men, tumors stopped growing.

"A few patients are still alive, without any signs of progression, more than a year after therapy began," says researcher Charles J. Ryan, MD, a cancer specialist at the University of California, San Francisco.

Without the new drug, they would have only been expected to live three or four months, he tells WebMD.

The researchers also used PSA levels to evaluate abiraterone's effectiveness. PSA levels are a measure of a protein called prostate-specific antigen, which is produced by cells in the prostate. High PSA levels can signal cancer. The National Cancer Institute views a response to treatment as being seen when there is at least a 50% decline in PSA blood level.

After 12 weeks of treatment, abiraterone reduced PSA levels by 50% or more in 71% of the men. In two men, PSA fell to undetectable levels.

Ryan presented the results here at the 2009 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium. The meeting is co-sponsored by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and two other cancer care organizations.
How Abiraterone Works

"This is currently the most promising prostate cancer drug on the horizon," says ASCO spokesman Howard Sandler, MD, chairman of radiation oncology at the Samuel Oschin Cancer Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

"Here's a novel therapy hormone that seems to be active in men thought to be unresponsive to hormone therapy," he tells WebMD.

That may be because abiraterone works differently than other hormone treatments.

Prostate cancer grows when exposed to the male hormone testosterone and its related hormones, called androgens. Hormone treatment is given to halt the production of testosterone and androgens.

Current treatments -- surgical removal of the testes or medication -- prevent the production of male hormones in the testes. But these approaches do not prevent other parts of the body from making male hormones. Abiraterone targets an enzyme called CYP17 that is necessary for the production of male hormones throughout the body.

The new study involved men who had been surgically or medically treated to prevent testosterone production in the testes. None had been treated with chemotherapy, which is sometimes given when cancer continues to grow and spread despite treatment with hormone therapy.

The men took abiraterone orally once a day. The drug was generally well tolerated, with no patient stopping treatment due to side effects.

Ryan notes that another study that did include men who were given chemotherapy after hormone treatment stopped working had similar results.

The new study was funded by Cougar Biosciences, which makes abiraterone.

Researchers are now enrolling men in a larger, longer study in which they will be randomly assigned to abiraterone or a placebo. If the promising results hold up, the company will apply for FDA approval of the drug. But that's at least a few years away, doctors say.

Prostate cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death among men in the U.S. It was diagnosed in more than 180,000 men and claimed the lives of more than 28,000 men in the U.S. last year.
http://www.webmd.com/prostate-cancer/news/20090227/new-drug-helps-slow-prostate-cancer

ASCO GI: Rectal Cancer Incidence Increases in Younger Patients

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 19 -- Rectal cancer incidence has shifted toward younger patients for reasons that are unexplained, according to a government database.

For patients younger than 40, the incidence rose by about 2% annually from 1973 to 2005, Joshua Meyer, M.D., of Weill Cornell Medical College in New York, reported at the Gastrointestinal Cancer Symposium here.

In contrast, the incidence of colon cancer in the same age group decreased by 0.2% annually during the same time period.

"When we broke it down by male or female, it was going up in both sexes, and when we broke it down by race, it was going up in all races," said Dr. Meyer. "It was fairly substantial and surprising to us. There was about a two-fold increase over that period of time."

The incidence of rectal cancer did not increase in older individuals, he added.

Interest in a possible incidence shift began when several Weill Cornell clinicians observed that rectal cancer appeared to be occurring more often in younger patients. A review of institutional data confirmed the suspicion.

From 1990 to 2002, 2% of Weill Cornell's rectal cancers occurred in patients younger than 40. From 2002 to 2006, younger patients accounted for 7% of all rectal cancers at the center. Moreover, the mean age of rectal cancer patients deceased from about 70 in 2000 to 57 or 58 in 2008.

To determine whether the finding was an isolated statistic, Dr. Meyer and colleagues queried the NCI Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database for rectal cancer cases that occurred between 1973 and 2005.

They limited data extraction to cancer of the rectum and rectosigmoid occurring in patients younger than 40. For reference, Dr. Meyer and colleagues extracted incidence data in the same age group for sigmoid colon, descending colon, and "colon excluding the rectum."

The analysis showed the incidence of rectal cancer increased by 2.6% per annum and the incidence of cancer of the rectosigmoid by 2.2% (P<0.0001>P<0.0001).>

The annual incidence of rectal and rectosigmoid cancer increased to a similar degree in men and women younger than 40 and increased by 2% or more in whites, blacks, and "other" racial/ethnic groups (P£0.01 versus no change).

An extensive analysis of genetic, clinical, demographic, and lifestyle factors failed to turn up a possible explanation for the increased occurrence of rectal cancer in younger patients, said Dr. Meyer.

http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/ASCOGI/12512

New Treatment for Prostate Cancer Uses Measles Vaccine

A study supported by the Mayo clinic shows that that certain strains of the measles virus vaccine have the ability to kill prostate cancer cells. Studies carried out in lab mice, testing the prostate cancer treatment with a strain of measles known as MV-CEA, resulted in complete regression of prostate cancer cells in one-fifth of mice tested, doubling survival time in the remaining animals treated with the measles virus vaccine.

According to Evanthia Galanis, M.D., of the Mayo Clinic, senior author of the study, "Based on our preclinical results as well as the safety of measles derivatives in clinical trials against other tumor types, these viral strains could represent excellent candidates for clinical testing against advanced prostate cancer, including androgen resistant tumors."
The researchers hope that the measles virus vaccine can be used in combination with other treatments, providing new hope for men with advanced prostate cancer, for which there is currently no cure.

The measles virus vaccine can be used noninvasively to kill prostate cancer cells. The researchers found that MV-CEA infects, duplicates, and then kills prostate cancer cells when the measles virus vaccine is applied directly to prostate cancer cells using ultrasound-guided needle injections. A simple blood test, combined with MRI and ultrasound can be used to measure the success of prostate cancer therapy using measles vaccine, allowing for close monitoring of treatment.

The researchers also note the safety in using measles virus vaccine as a new approach for treatment of advanced prostate cancer. Measles vaccine has been in use for over forty years, and has been administered to millions of individuals.

The new study involving measles virus vaccine for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer appears in the journal The Prostate. The measles virus vaccine is currently being tested in three trials for prostate cancer treatment. The vaccine was also effective for other types of cancer, including lymphoma, ovarian and breast cancer, multiple myeloma, glioblastoma, and liver cancer.

The researchers view the findings that measles virus vaccine, MV-CEA effectively kills and limits the growth of prostate cancer cells, as a safe and novel therapy that can be developed for the treatment of advanced and recurrent prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is expected to have claimed 28,660 lives in American men in 2008.