Recent reports in the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada have indicated that the annual number of mesothelioma deaths is increasing. Mesothelioma is a rare but deadly form of lung cancer related to asbestos exposure. Exposure is often result of working in an industry, such as the insulation or automotive, which uses asbestos in manufacture or production. Because mesothelioma usually manifests 20 to 40 years after the first exposure, many reported cases derive from asbestos exposure that occurred in the 1960s and 1970s. According to calculations by the Center for Disease Control, mesothelioma deaths are expected to peak around 2010 in the United States whereas in the United Kingdom, the Health and Safety Executive predicted mesothelioma cases would continue to rise until 2016. In the last 15 years, mesothelioma cases increased 67 percent, according to the Canadian government. The number of mesothelioma cases amoung women is reported to rise as well, despite that men are more likely to develop the cancer. The increase in mesothelioma cases is due to asbestos exposure that occurred 20 to 40 years ago. Cancer patients face a bleak prognosis of less than 18 months. Prior to diagnosis, many patients were exposed to an occupational or environmental hazard that contained asbestos, as asbestos is the only known cause of mesothelioma. Although optimism remains that the number of the cases is expected to decline as the residual impact of asbestos use subsides, asbestos-related diseases are debilitating and often the result of inadvertent exposure via an occupational hazard. Plumbers, electricians and electrical fitters, carpenters, and heating and ventilating engineers are the professions who run the risk of developing a disease related to asbestos according to reports in UK. However many death certificates do not record occupations of the patients dying from mesothelioma. The slightest asbestos exposure can result in several potentially fatal medical conditions, including lung cancer, asbestosis or mesothelioma, despite the decrease in the commercial use of asbestos. Many who have been exposed to mesothelioma can seek compensation for costly medical bills with a mesothelioma lawsuit. Mesothelioma litigation has risen in recent years as the population that was exposed to asbestos earlier in the twentieth century continues to age and the negative effects of asbestos become more prevalent. Mesothelioma treatment can be intense and expensive, which is why many mesothelioma patients seek mesothelioma legal counsel from experienced mesothelioma law firms. Although asbestos exposure has dropped in recent years, those exposed prior to the twenty-first century continue to suffer from the side effects.
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