Malignant mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that develops from the protective lining that covers many of the body’s internal organs, the mesothelium. Asbestos is the major cause of malignant mesothelioma and has been considered indisputably associated with the development of mesothelioma. The relationship between asbestos and mesothelioma is so strong that many consider mesothelioma a “signal” or “sentinel” tumor.Unlike lung cancer, there is no link between smoking and development of malignant mesothelioma.
Tragically, companies that produced asbestos-containing products during the 1940-1980sknew of the dangers of asbestos and chose not to inform those working with their products.Knowledge of the dangers of asbestos was evident even before asbestos was in widespread use. Internal documents found in corporate files reveal that not only did the companies have knowledge of the hazards of asbestos but also took extra steps to prevent publication or mention of asbestos related dangers. One such case is when Sumner Simpson, the president of Raybestos-Manhatten, wrote to Vandiver Brown, head of Johns-Manville’s legal department in 1935. He said, “I think the less said about asbestos the better off we are.” Brown replied, “I quite agree with you that our interests are best served by having asbestosis (an asbestos caused disease) receive the minimum of publicity.” In 1936, officials from asbestos manufacturing companies met in New York City to agree to secretly finance animal experiments at the Trudeau Foundation’s Saranac Laboratory in Saranac, NY.Their intent was to gather data that would support a defense to lawsuits that were beginning to be brought against the asbestos companies. Before the final publication, the Saranac report had made reference to the findings that animals exposed to asbestos developed cancer.In the final report, however, all mention of the cancer was erased.In addition, the revised report was silent in its criticism of the asbestos dust threshold limit value (TLV) and previously published studies that linked asbestos with cancer. Later in 1952, discussions from a Saranac symposium that included asbestosis and cancer caused by asbestos were never published.
This “sworn secrecy” in the asbestos industry is also shown elsewhere. In 1947, the Asbestos Textile Institute (ATI) sponsored a study of textile factories by the Industrial Hygiene Foundation. The study found that the workers had asbestosis, made recommendations about medical examinations, and recommended a re-evaluation of the industry’s threshold limit value for asbestos. However, these findings were never published outside of the ATI. In the 1950s, the Institute rejected funding for further cancer studies because “such an investigation would stir up a hornet’s nest and put the whole industry under suspicion.”
As more and more information about the dangers of asbestos became known to asbestos manufacturers, the industry feared that the dangers of asbestos would be publicized and would damage profits. Industry members opposed a health and safety booklet because “the booklet creates fear in the minds of buyers, users, and workers without justification. These fears would be damaging to the entire industry.” The asbestos companies knew that this was a problem that affected the entire asbestos industry and worked together to keep the dangers of asbestos from becoming well known to the public.
Because of the widespread use of asbestos, and the long period in which mesothelioma is latent, and undiagnosed, many people, in a variety of trades and industries, are now being diagnosed with mesothelioma, decades after they were first exposed.People who worked in powerhouses, residential and commercial construction, shipyards, steel mills, oil refineries, chemical plants and foundries from the 1940s thru the 1980s are at risk for developing mesothelioma, as are those who were employed during that time as carpenters, ironworkers, plumbers, pipefitters, laborers, machinists, boilermakers, insulators, mechanics, millwrights, plasterers, drywallers and painters, all because of the prevalence of asbestos in many industries and trades.Family members of those employed in these industries and trades are also at risk because of second hand exposure,
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, please call Steve Leshner for a free consultation.