By the late 1930s many asbestos manufacturers were aware that their workers were dying at exceedingly high numbers. Yet they covered up the dangers. It has been estimated that over a quarter of a million people have died from asbestos related causes between 1979 and 2001.

Traditionally, people focused on certain industries in which occupational exposure to asbestos was substantially high. Examples would include shipyards, railroads, utilities, and construction. It is important to promote public awareness of mesothelioma and asbestos. The amount of research done in this area is numerous, and for good reason. One interesting study is called, "Black spots concentrate oncogenic asbestos fibers in the parietal pleura. Thoracoscopic and mineralogic study" by C Boutin, P Dumortier, F Rey, JR Viallat and P De Vuyst Pneumology Department, Concneption Hospital, Marseilles, France. - Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., Vol 153, No. 1, Jan 1996, 444-449.

Here is an excerpt: "Epidemiologic and pathologic data demonstrate that malignant mesothelioma occurs preferentially after exposure to long amphibole asbestos fibers. However, mineralogic studies have rarely detected such fibers in the parietal pleura. We hypothesized that the distribution of asbestos fibers in the pleura was heterogeneous and that they might concentrate in certain areas, as does coal dust in patients showing anthracotic "black spots" of the parietal pleura during thoracoscopy.

We collected thoracoscopic biopsy samples from these black spots and from normal areas of the parietal pleura and lung from 14 subjects (eight with and six without asbestos exposure). Asbestos content was determined by transmission electron microscopy. In exposed subjects, mean fiber concentrations were 12.4 +/- 9.8 x 10(6) fibers/g of dry tissue in lung, 4.1 +/- 1.9 in black spots, and 0.5 +/- 0.2 in normal pleura. In unexposed patients, concentrations were 0, 0.3 +/- 0.1, and 0, respectively. Amphiboles outnumbered chrysotile in all samples. A total of 22.5% of fibers were > or = 5 microns in length in black spots. A histologic similarity of these black spots with milky spots is suggested by conventional and electron microscopy. We conclude that the distribution of asbestos fibers is heterogeneous in the parietal pleura. Indeed, the fibers concentrate in black spots, where they can reach high concentrations. These findings could explain why the parietal pleura is the target organ for mesothelioma and plaques" For more information, please read the entire study.

Another interesting work is called, "NON-OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE TO ASBESTOS AND MALIGNANT MESOTHELIOMA IN FEMALES" - The Lancet, Volume 311, Issue 8073, Pages 1061-1063

Here is an excerpt: "A study of the occupational histories of 52 females with malignant mesothelioma and certain of their relatives, carried out to measure the risk of this disorder attributable to indirect asbestos exposure, showed that a significantly greater number of husbands and fathers of cases than of controls worked in asbestos-related industries, and the relative risk for this factor was 10. The frequency of parental cancer, especially gastrointestinal malignancy, was also significantly greater for cases than for their controls. This raises the possibility of a genetic predisposition to malignant mesothelioma." For further information, please read the article in its entirety.

We all owe a debt of gratitude for the people doing this important work. Hopefully we can someday find a cure.