Traditionally, malignant mesothelioma is a form of asbestos cancer that affects men much more often then women. This is not because women are less genetically pre-disposed to the disease but merely because, historically, men more often worked at asbestos jobsites that put them in contact with dangerous asbestos. That said, however, mesothelioma disease has indeed been diagnosed in women, though on-the-job exposure is often not the reason for the development of the disease.
Some studies have also demonstrated that women who develop mesothelioma are much more likely to acquire peritoneal mesothelioma, the abdominal form of the disease, with the mesothelioma risk factors increasing five-fold with increasing exposure. This is noted in a study published in the journal, Chest. The reasons why are not clear but studies continue in hopes of discovering the answer to this question.
Reasons for Mesothelioma in Women
Because many women were part of the work force during World War II, some of them were regularly exposed to asbestos in shipyards, factories, and other places where they contributed to the war effort, and some of these women developed mesothelioma. These cases were indeed a result of direct exposure to asbestos.
Many of the women who are diagnosed with mesothelioma, however, have been deemed victims of second-hand asbestos exposure. This means they had no direct exposure to the toxic mineral but were perhaps subject to exposure by an indirect means. Generally, this occurred most often during the years when men worked in chemical plants, oil refineries, power plants, steel mills and factories that made widespread use of asbestos. The men - often husbands or fathers of the women who would later develop mesothelioma - would bring asbestos dust home on their clothes and the fibers would be inhaled by others living in the home. Often, these victims were the women who would wash their clothes. As a matter of fact, a 1997 study conducted by Durham (VA) and Duke University Medical Centers was able to identify a history of asbestos exposure in about 75 percent of the women who participated in their study; more than half of those 75 percent had suffered exposure due to household contact with asbestos workers.
In some cases, though rarely in the United States, women are exposed to naturally-occurring asbestos. This is asbestos that is found in the ground and is usually of the very toxic amphibole variety. This accounts for a high rate of mesothelioma cancer in countries like Turkey and its surrounding areas, where asbestos is abundant.
Sources
Malignant mesothelioma in women. Anat Pathol. 1997;2:147-63.
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