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Underreported Mesothelioma Cases

Although thousands of people in the United States exposed to asbestos and diagnosed with mesothelioma have filed a mesothelioma lawsuit, researchers and mesothelioma lawyers now believe that there are a large number of victims in the U.S and worldwide whose mesothelioma case has gone unreported.

In the study published this week, researchers from the University of Occupational and Environmental Health in Japan found that for each 4 or 5 people around the world diagnosed with mesothelioma, there is at least one other person whose mesothelioma case has not been reported.

Mesothelioma is a rare type of cancer caused almost exclusively by exposure to asbestos. It attacks the linings of the body’s vital organs in the chest and abdomen and does not have a cure at this time. Although mesothelioma can take 20 years or more to develop after exposure, it attacks very quickly once it surfaces.

Also, because the early symptoms of mesothelioma often resemble those of less serious diseases, it often goes untreated and undetected until it has progressed to an advanced state.

Researchers in this study only tracked mesothelioma deaths rather than mesothelioma diagnoses since nearly every person who contracts the disease passes away quickly afterward.

Examining the 89 countries which used asbestos between 1920 and 1970, the researchers found that only 56 of these kept data on the number of deaths caused by mesothelioma. Between 1994 and 2008, this amounted to over 174,000 deaths. Estimating the death rate for the other 33 countries, they predicted that almost 40,000 more deaths likely went unreported.

Not surprising, the countries who did not report mesothelioma deaths include Russia, Kazakstan China, and India. Although these countries were in the top 15 for amount of asbestos use, they have dismal track records when it comes to human rights and specifically the rights of workers.

The researchers again urged every country to stop production and use of asbestos due to the deadly consequences it can have on citizens and the health of the country.