Response to MesoBlog.org Post on Mesothelioma and Asbestos Exposure

This is a response to the MesoBlog.org post dated June 5,2007 at http://www.mesoblog.org/blog/mesothelioma-incidents-increasing-in-younger-people/.

While it is true that the median age of those diagnosed with mesothelioma is decreasing, and that younger people are being diagnosed with increasing frequency, it is not true that 40% of people diagnosed with mesothelioma "never came in contact with asbestos."

It is well-established that a history of occupational asbestos exposure is reported in the vast majority of mesothelioma cases. In fact, the National Cancer Institute states that 70-80% of mesothelioma patients have a "history of asbestos exposure at work". http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Sites-Types/mesothelioma

Of the remaining cases of mesothelioma, many can be attributed to some identifiable household exposure, such as laundering the clothing of a family member or performing home renovations and repairs that utilized asbestos-containing products. http://www.nynjmesothelioma.com/exposure.php#homerenovation