Since the beginning and throughout the 20th century information regarding asbestos and its link to cancerous diseases has been suppressed and hidden from the American public. This site actually hopes to help and inform those actually suffering from the various types of mesothelioma.
Mesothelioma (meh-zuh-thee-lee-OH-muh) is a rare and very serious form of cancer, usually associated with previous exposure or inhalation of asbestos, which affects the pleura (thin layer of tissue lining the chest and lungs), the peritoneum (tissue lining the abdomen), or the pericardium (sac-like space that surrounds the heart). Mesothelioma affects some 3,000 Americans each year. Roughly 75% of all these mesothelioma cases originate in the pleura (pleural mesothelioma), another 15% in the peritoneum (peritoneal mesothelioma), and the remaining cases start in the pericardium (pericardial mesothelioma). In this disease, malignant (cancerous) cells are found in the mesothelium, a two-layered membrane that covers most of the body's internal organs.
View our Mesothelioma Facts page for a listing of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) concerning mesothelioma.
View our Mesothelioma Article Index for a listing of our mesothelioma articles and news regarding the fight against asbestos exposure and new cancer treatments.