Following up on the US senates resolution declaring the 1st April each year as National Asbestos Awareness Day, and April 1-7 Asbestos Awareness Week, Bobby Bright the Mayor of Montgomery Alabama has jumped up and signed a proclamation that also declares the 1st of April as Asbestos Awareness Day in Montgomery.

Asbestos Awareness Day is an idea put forward by the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization 4 years ago sponsored by Sen. Max Baucus (D–Montana). The local proclamation hopes to increase local awareness and also bring attention to asbestos related diseases like Mesothelioma and to educate the general public about the ongoing risks.

Asbestos exposure, can lead to asbestos-related diseases such as asbestosis, lung cancer, and Mesothelioma and you only need to breathe a minute number of the fibres which can be airborne near any damaged asbestos products.

What is Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that is almost always caused by an earlier exposure to asbestos fibre. In this disease patients have a low survival rate, malignant cells form in the Mesothelioma, a protective lining that shields the body’s internal organs. In most cases the cancer forms in the pleura, which surrounds the lungs and chest cavity, however it can occur in the pericardium, which is the tissue surrounding the heart or the peritoneum which lines the abdominal cavity.

How Is It Contracted
Most patients that have contracted Mesothelioma have been employed in locations where they have inhaled fine asbestos particles, or have been otherwise exposed to asbestos dust or fibres. Some Trades are more likely to develop Mesothelioma such as: construction workers, metal plate workers and vehicle body builders, carpenters, electricians, plumbers and gas fitters. Other people who are much less at risk can also been exposed to airborne asbestos fibres such as by washing the clothes of a workers or home renovators using, or uncovering asbestos cement products.
Symptoms of Mesothelioma
Diagnosing Mesothelioma is difficult, because the symptoms can be similar to many other medical problems. Unfortunately the symptoms of Mesothelioma often do not reveal until up to 50 years after inhaling to asbestos fibres.

For Pleural Mesothelioma the most common symptoms are; fatigue or anaemia, shortness of breath, wheezing, hoarseness, coughing, and chest pain due to fluid build up in the pleural space.

Usual symptoms of Peritoneal Mesothelioma include; swelling in the abdomen and pains due to the build-up of fluid in the abdominal cavity known as ascites,  and also weight loss and cachexia. Other symptoms may include bowel obstruction, blood clotting and anaemia in later stages when the cancer has spread beyond the Mesothelioma symptoms may include difficulty swallowing, or swelling of the face or neck.