Asbestos-related illnesses on the rise in Japan

JAPAN: The government has grudgingly released the names of 2,167 companies and offices around the nation where workers received compensation in connection with asbestos-related illnesses.

The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has been under pressure from groups supporting those suffering from such respiratory illnesses as well as family members to release the names quickly.

The list would enable those who lived near the companies or who had family members who worked there to get checked for diseases such as mesothelioma, a disease of the lungs which is invariably fatal.

Read the complete story here.

Japan: 45 more cases linked to asbestos exposure

TOKYO, JAPAN: A further 45 people have been confirmed with health problems after exposure to asbestos from a former factory site in Ota Ward in Tokyo, the ward office said Saturday (29 Mar).

One man in his 70s died in October of pericardial mesothelioma–a form of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos–and seven other people developed health problems after inhaling asbestos, according to the ward office.

Read complete story here.

Advocates raise asbestos awareness

From the Oakland Press:

Each year, 10,000 Americans die — often quite painfully — due to asbestos-related illnesses. Because it takes between 10 and 50 years for symptoms to emerge, these numbers are expected to climb through 2018.

Macomb County is at increased risk because of the number of residents who work or worked in the building trades, said Michael Harbut, M.D., co-director of the National Center for Vermiculite and Asbestos-Related Cancers, at the Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit.

“People think asbestos is a thing of the past,” said Harbut, adding that inhaling or swallowing asbestos fibers permanently penetrates the lungs and other tissue, causing cancer and other respiratory diseases. “I wish it were.” Read the complete story here.

Travel tips for meso patients

Meso spouse Lois Schwarting has put together this excellent reference for traveling:

Travel tips for meso patients

Remember the point of your trip. If it’s for pleasure, plan to enjoy every minute of being in a different environment and get immersed in whatever is beautiful and new!

Request wheelchair assistance

When booking airline travel, request wheelchair assistance. Upon arrival at baggage check-in outside or inside the terminal, request wheelchair assistance to the gate of departure. The airport personnel will wheel the meso patient through the handicapped line of the TSA lines, but the passenger will have to get up out of the wheelchair and walk through the little “archway.” After being cleared, he will get back in the wheelchair to be pushed to departure gate. Even if the meso warrior is feeling quite good, the lines for security may be extremely long and cause undue fatigue and distress. Have the warrior wear slip-on shoes, as going through security they will still have to remove shoes and walk in sock feet!

Have your oncologist sign a form to take with you through security. I leave it in the same folder as our tickets and boarding passes. This will allow you to take some extra nourishment with you, and any meds that otherwise might be problematic. There’s a sample form that follows.

Nourishment

Airlines allow only certain sized containers and certain products through security. They tell you exactly the size, quantity, and type of items you must put in a one-quart Ziploc bag to go through security.

I always want to take more!! This is where the passenger health form comes in handy, and I point to them where it says he has undergone chemotherapy and to the doctor’s signature. It works wonders! Marty drinks one bottle of Boost per day, and I carry one bottle per day of our total trip with us. I put these bottles in a Ziploc gallon-size bag. I have also carried a “soft-pack” cooler which will hold a six-pack. In it I have some fresh fruit, salad, or sandwich with a small “cold pack” to keep food cold. When showing it to security on the conveyor, I tell them he is a terminal cancer patient and has undergone chemotherapy and his food requires special handling and that is what is in the cooler. Once on the other end of conveyor they have me open it up and look quickly. They have never had me rifle through and show exactly what is in there!

Good idea to take these things with you

CD of last CAT scan and written report of scan. If you need to take your warrior to an ER, these will be very handy. Go to the records department at your radiologist and request several days prior to travel. If you can’t get a CD ask for the actual films.

Pain medications: take some even if the warrior has not yet experienced pain.
Anti-nausea medications: just in case!

It’s best to check with your airline if the warrior is on oxygen, because they may have you follow a particular rule or complete their form and you want to be sure to comply. We are thankful that as yet we have had no requirement for this information. This form has been made up based on sections of one which we were required to complete for taking a cruise to Alaska in August 2007.

Passenger health
Name
Date

Illnesses or operations:

Mesothelioma

Current medications (list all):

Medicine allergies:

Equipment that the passenger will be bringing onboard (oxygen concentrator, wheelchair, walker, liquid oxygen, etc.):

Has the patient been hospitalized in the past year?

Is this patient medically fit to travel?

Comments:
(Medical information for emergency situation.)
(Note: Handwrite anything like below ) — fills up more space — make CHEMOTHERAPY stand out when writing!)
Thoracentesis/date
Thoracoscopy/date
Diagnosis from lab/date

Chemotherapy [Here you could write in “3-week interval cycles Alimta/cisplatin, dexamethasone, B12 shots] I handwrite date, doc’s name, address, and have the doctor sign.

Doctor’s information:

Signature_________ Date ______

Doctor’s Name _________________

Address _____________________

Telephone _____Fax ___

Weight loss after chemo/surgery for mesothelioma

One thing that mesothelioma patients have to contend with after undergoing chemotherapy and/or surgery is weight loss. A loss of 30-40 pounds isn’t uncommon, and although there are plenty of people who have weight to spare, the issue is much more difficult for patients who start off lean. Since the surgery, chemotherapy, and the cancer itself can all work to greatly depress appetite, lean patients who shed 30 pounds may find themselves losing most, if not all, of the natural padding on their backside.

Lois Schwarting, meso spouse and caretaker extraordinaire, invented a solution for her husband Marty that makes it much easier for him to sit down: what she calls a “butt pillow.” By stacking several layers of eggshell foam and enclosing it with a pillowcase, Marty has a lightweight, portable, and eminently comfortable cushion that he can use whenever he sits. Lois has sent the photo below to show the type of foam, as well as instructions about how to make the pillow:

“Here’s pics of how I built a butt pillow for Marty. Then I made a pillowcase right size to slip over and stitched end closed. Use some E6000 glue to hold the pillows in place, and then draw yarn through the 3 layers (loop of yarn in the valley part of foam so not irritate skin. Just tie in a bow on the bottom layer to help hold in place! Marty’s “butt pillow” is usually in a recliner which he usually sits in, but it or the “spare one” is taken with them when leaving house and ….. (he uses it in the other places)

“Some people have weight loss and body wasting caused by cancer even before diagnosis and it continues during surgery or chemo, so this can really make life more comfortable.

“Here are dimensions of the foam pieces:
Purchase 1-1/2 thick egg-crate foam.
Cut four pieces 6 inches by 9 inches.
Cut one piece 9 inches by  18 inches.

“E6000 glue works great, as it will not “melt” or “eat” the foam. Apply a few drops of glue to the “bumps” of the eggcrate side of the foam in a couple of places. Stack the foam pieces together as pictured. For added stability, run some yarn from the bottom piece of foam up through the small pieces, making sure loop yarn is in the middle, and pull back through to underside and tie in a knot or bow.

“Caution: Even a small bow made a ‘red bump – sore spot’ on Marty’s skin when I’d tied yarn in a bow in the depression of the top foam! I made a pillowcase-type cover, slipped it over foam and stitched the end closed. I made two “butt pillows” so that when one gets squashed from a lot of use, I replace it with the second and let the squashed one plump back up. My first ‘prototype’ was for a trip to Alaska. I had folded over some fabric alongside the length of the 17-inch foam and drew cord through it. I slung it  on my shoulder and had it ready to put on a bus seat, train seat, or wheelchair seat. I had made that one with only two layers foam, but he likes the 3-layer foam pillow better! For back comfort, we have a piece of foam 15 inches by 21 inches and 1 inch thick, which is slipped inside a pillowcase and used behind Marty’s back when he travels.”

Pillow foam

Finished pillows, upper and lower

Sweet doggie not included!!!

South Africa bans asbestos–why can’t the U.S.?

Environmental Affairs and Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk has announced that the use, manufacture and processing of asbestos will be prohibited in South Africa with immediate effect. Read the entire story here.

As the rest of the world closes ranks against one of the worst public health catastrophes in history with nations like South Africa leading the way, Canada and the U.S.A. have so far failed to get in line with medical and scientific research that shows asbestos is a lethal killer. Mesothelioma and asbestosis are just two of the diseases caused by asbestos. With no cure for either illness, asbestos has no place in modern society.

ADAO remembrance service March 30, 2008

All-American Mom and home decorator puts meso in its place

Healthy, active, and always involved in a dozen different projects, Marilyn Stratton’s active lifestyle meant that she was accustomed to lots of physical activity without ever batting an eye.

As a career interior decorator, Marilyn was used to lifting boxes, carrying heavy samples of rugs, tiles, wallpaper, carpets, and countless catalogs that showcased the tools of her trade. Until the summer months of 2006, when she began experiencing pain in her chest, Marilyn had been healthy her whole life long.

Concerned that someone as fit and active as she would be suffering from chest pains, her husband insisted on a visit to the doctor. X-rays taken in early June revealed a build-up of fluid around her lung. Was this pneumonia? The doctor was concerned and insisted on a thoracentesis later that month at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Portland.

What began as a simple chest pain developed into news of the most horrific sort: pathology analysis of the fluid resulted in a diagnosis of malignant pleural mesothelioma.

Circling the wagons

On October, 16, 2006, her doctor performed a biopsy and talc pleurodesis. Like most people diagnosed with mesothelioma, Marilyn had to make a series of complex, rapid-fire decisions with her doctor about what next to do.

The difficulty with meso, of course, is that even the physicians who specialize in its treatment have different opinions on the best course of treatment. The disease is almost individualistic, requiring doctors to carefully weigh their options depending on staging, lymph-node involvement, age, co-morbidity factors, cellular type, and a host of other criteria. All of this must be done at utmost speed, because time is always the enemy.

Marilyn was referred to an oncologist in Portland who had her undergo four rounds of Alimta/cisplatin chemotherapy. Although this regimen is the only procedure approved by the FDA for treatment of mesothelioma, surgeons and oncologists recognize that the best survival outcomes are generally obtained by multimodal therapy that includes surgery as the bedrock treatment.

While she was undergoing chemo, Marilyn was referred to Dr. Eric Vallieres at the Swedish Cancer Institute in Seattle for a surgical consultation. One of the nation’s leading meso surgeons, after meeting with Marilyn Dr. Vallieres concluded that she was a candidate for the surgery. Marilyn decided to undergo an extra-pleural pneumonectomy (EPP) with Dr. Vallieres.

Girding for battle

In the work-up prior to surgery, it was discovered that Marilyn had a lump in her throat. On January 5, 2007, Dr. Vallieres performed a mediastinoscopy. Pathology analysis of the node was negative for malignancy. This was a huge relief to Marilyn, because the lymph nodes are the super-highway of the body, capable of instantly spreading cancerous cells to distant locations. Because the node was not malignant, the surgery could go forward as planned.

This major operation went extraordinarily well, owing in part to the skill of Dr. Vallieres and in part to the toughness and resiliency of Marilyn. She came through it with flying colors and was on the fast track for the day that every patients dreams of: a hospital discharge and ticket to go back home.

Aftershocks

One week after surgery, however, Marilyn got a lung infection and had to go back into the hospital for antibiotics to quell the infection. Having only one lung, any type of viral attack could be critical. From the end of January through the onset of radiation was when she felt the worst. She was weak, out of breath, and not feeling good for months. The combination of the infection and the inflammation had taken a toll early on in her recovery, but as a strong and tough fighter she finally she got beyond it.

One consequence of the EPP that has remained with Marilyn is chronic shortness of breath. She was admitted to Swedish Hospital in Seattle in March to determine the cause of the shortness of breath. As soon as the testing for the cause of her shortness of breath is completed, Marilyn is scheduled to begin a course of 30 radiation treatments that will be administered over a period of six weeks.

Calm waters

Marilyn had a December consultation with her pulmonologist and surgeon, as well as a CT scan, and the results were completely clear. Her next scheduled appointment is in April. As a result of the CT scan she’s been taken off all her medicines: heart medications, coumadin, Alimta/cisplatin, prednisone (steroid for post-surgery infection and inflammation in remaining lung, high dosage), prilosec, sulphasalazine (colitis—still taking), metotrolol (heart medication), warfarin (heart medication), magnesium because level had dropped post surgery (quickly regained normal rates), oxycodone (painkiller), and zofran (anti-nausea drug to combat side effect of steroid).

Dr. Vallieres is very optimistic and has been positive through the whole process. Even during the lung infection he said it was “just a bump in the road,” and is very pleased with the good health and strength of this courageous woman. The pulmonologist said that she would never completely get her breath back, but time would tell and significant improvement has always been a reasonable and very attainable goal. The radiologist said that she had every reason to be optimistic because it appeared that the chemotherapy did a very good job. Dr. Vallieres’s skillful hands seemed to have removed all of the gross tumor, and the radiation had “sterilized the area.”

Marilyn is constantly amazed at how an extremely busy surgeon like Dr. Vallieres seems to have all the time in the world for her when she’s in his office. “He’s so friendly and always gives me a hug. He’s very different from many of the other physicians with whom I’ve had to deal,” Marilyn says with a laugh.

Marilyn couldn’t be happier about the results of the CT scan and being “cancer clear.” Although she doesn’t feel 100% yet, she’s very pleased with her status. She’s feeling better and her friends tell her she looks wonderful.

Living with mesothelioma

Marilyn’s life has been night and day different since surgery. Before, she rarely sat down, was a workaholic, always healthy, and didn’t tire easily. Meso has pulled her former lifestyle up short. During these last few months Marilyn has led a totally different lifestyle. She used to walk five miles twice/weekly, and all her other activities and she worked full time.

Marilyn continues to amaze the doctors who treat her. She’s already made a habit of walking 1.25 miles, and her GP was astounded. To Marilyn the recovery has gone slowly but in perspective she thinks the recovery has been fast. She doesn’t have the strength for pulling fabric off shelves and putting them back up again, or for furniture delivery and hoisting large area rugs she used to carry by herself. On the other hand, she’s discovered that the world has no shortage of people who make a living doing these very things!

Her skills as a decorator have been showcased in three “Street of Dreams” homes and a number of “Showplace Homes” in the Portland area during her lengthy and respected career. At the spry and vigorous age of 73, Marilyn is still coping with the dent that meso has made in her active, productive, and fulfilling lifestyle prior to the onset of symptoms.

Marilyn and her husband Richard once kept active by going on walks together. Their favorite place was at downtown Portland’s waterfront. Now, she is out of breath after simply walking across the room. This has made getting around their multi-story home difficult and painstaking.

In recent years, Marilyn and Richard traveled the world together. Singapore, Bangkok, Canary Islands, New Zealand, Australia, and an annual trip to Mexico are just a few of the destinations they have enjoyed.

A loving mom and grandmother, Marilyn also enjoys spending time with her two daughters, Susan and Shari, both of whom live nearby. She also enjoys spending time with her five grandsons, three of whom are students at Oregon State University, of whom is serving in the U.S. Air Force, and one who is in high school. With courage and an indomitable will, Marilyn continues with great cheer and grace.

Disease likely to increase thanks to mass poisoning by W.R. Grace

Workers exposed to low levels of vermiculite from Libby, Montana more than two decades ago are at an increased risk for lung disease, according to research from the University of Cincinnati (UC).

An article in Science News Daily reported today that:

Workers with low-level exposures to Libby vermiculite ore may not have obvious health effects right away, but the past exposure is something of which their physicians should be aware. Once inhaled, these fibers are very persistent and stay in the lung for a long time. They lodge in the lung tissue and the tissue that lines the chest wall and cause inflammation, which can lead to chronic lung problems and diseases. Records show that until the Montana mine was closed in 1990, it provided up to 80 percent of the world’s vermiculite supply–which was widely used in both commercial and residential applications, including home insulation, packing materials, construction materials and gardening products. Vermiculite ore is now mined from other sources that reportedly do not contain similar asbestos-like mineral fibers.

The chest X-ray changes associated with the low cumulative fiber exposure are a public health concern. The Libby vermiculite ore was widely distributed across the United States for residential and commercial use, which means it could impact not only the workers who processed it but also consumers who used it for home insulation.

The full story is posted here.

Asbestos poisoner evades liability through Chapter 11 filing

Federal-Mogul Corp. insurers may have to pay more than $500 million for asbestos damages under the Chapter 11 plan that got the company out of bankruptcy last year, a bankruptcy judge has ruled. Judge Judith Fitzgerald of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Pittsburgh, ruled against more than two dozen insurance companies, who were fighting to avoid paying claims for damages linked to Federal-Mogul’s asbestos products.

Read the full story here.

Like many other mass asbestos poisoners, Federal-Mogul chose to declare bankruptcy so that it could insulate itself from asbestos liability. Federal-Mogul of course is far from bankrupt, and after emerging from the bankruptcy proceedings will be able to continue making money hand over fist without fear of ever having to compensate the tens of thousands of people who were poisoned by its deliberate, knowing use of lethal asbestos.

Although on its face the proceedings help asbestos victims because the ruling against insurers requires them to pay into a settlement fund, in reality the damages suffered by Federal-Mogul’s victims run into the billions. The $500 million trust fund will soon be depleted, or its payouts will be so minuscule as to make efforts to collect hardly worth the effort.