Exposure to asbestos is a serious health risk that can result in malignant mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a form of cancer known to be caused by working in an environment that contains carcinogens in the air from asbestos. People who work in factories, boiler rooms, construction sites, and even in the military, are often exposed to this hazardous material.
Experts at the American Cancer Society and Harvard University believe the risk of exposure to asbestos will continue to increase and expose others as climate change impacts essential access to care.
Natural Disasters: Lead To Decreased Access To Essential Healthcare
Following a natural disaster, many medical professionals and residents in the area will experience increased exposure to asbestos, which experts call mesothelioma risk. This exposure occurs when buildings and homes riddled with asbestos are torn apart from a tornado, flooding, wildfires, and hurricanes.
Asbestos can easily be carried into the air and then inhaled, resulting in increased mesothelioma diagnoses well into the future.
Cancer patients may not connect the dots with climate change and their wellbeing, but scientists are connecting those dots and raising the alarm. According to the Journal CA: Cancer Journal for Clinicians, scientists state, while cancer prevention continues to progress, the effects of climate change should not be overlooked. Also, weather disasters do have a direct impact on the survival rate of mesothelioma cancer patients.
Inaccessible Healthcare: Is A Life And Death Situation
When a natural disaster strikes, healthcare facilities such as cancer treatment centers are often inaccessible to patients with malignant mesothelioma. This information is alarming because many of these patients rely on this care to help boost and prolong their lives.