Most people are aware of the link between asbestos exposure and mesothelioma, even if it’s not well understood. While exposure to asbestos does pose a risk, there are several other links as well.

Radiation Exposure

Thorotrast, or thorium dioxide, was commonly used in contrast X-rays from the 1930s through the 1950s. It was considered safe at the time, although testing for standards didn’t exist in the same context as they do today. It was discovered later that the radiation from this substance could emit alpha-radiation throughout the body for up to 20 years beyond the initial date of injection. The use of thorotrast diminished in most of the world in the late 40s to early 50s. However, some patients have been reported as having certain types of cancers, including mesothelioma, long after the substance was discontinued.

SV40 Virus

This is a slightly controversial topic. Recently some studies have shown that certain polio vaccines used between 1955 and 1963 may have been contaminated with this virus. Some estimates place the exposure at somewhere between 10 and 30 million people affected worldwide. Researchers are still working on this, but some mesothelioma patients who underwent biopsies were found to have trace amounts of the SV40 virus in the cancer cells. The research suggests that some may have been at a greater risk for mesothelioma as a result of this contaminated vaccine.

Zeolites

Elevated cases of mesothelioma in the Mediterranean area suggests a possible environmental cause. Zeolite, a mineral substance found in abundance in Turkey and along the Black and Mediterranean Seas, has been shown to be closely related to asbestos. Research is ongoing on the soil rich with zeolite, but researchers do suggest a strong link.

Tobacco

While smoking in and of itself may not cause mesothelioma, it does increase the likelihood in those who have been exposed to other possible factors by as much as 50%. Doctors suggest strongly that those who may have been exposed to asbestos stop smoking to lower the chances.

Asbestos

Asbestos exposure if the one link that most people have already heard of. Asbestos is made of 6 different minerals, and the combination has been shown to cause cancer.

Asbestos use was popular for decades because of it’s strength and natural resistance to heat and fire. It was commonly used in industrial applications. The material was used in the construction of homes and schools, and those who worked in certain industries, such as shipyards, chemical processing plants, steel mills, and oil refineries could have been exposed. Even after asbestos was found to be dangerous and the production and use ceased, those working in construction still risked exposure if they needed to remove insulation or tear down walls that contained asbestos.

If you have been exposed, or think you have been exposed to any of the mesothelioma triggers, you should work closely with a doctor to monitor your health.