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Washington ranks as the 8 th state of US with the highest mortality rate resulting from mesothelioma since the last 20 years. It has been estimated that around 2,311 people have fallen victim to this disease. One more thing about this state is the highest asbestos mortality rates in 4 of its counties. King County is number 4 on the list with more than 595 asbestos related deaths. It is followed by Kitsap at number 24, Pierce at number 28 and Snohomish at number 52 on the list.
It is important to realize that mesothelioma has no cure. But, it is a preventable disease which can be 100% avoided by developing safety measures and using protective gear and masks when using asbestos. Even a small period of asbestos inhalation can lead to mesothelioma. The only thing to do is to avoid asbestos exposure completely.
People working in asbestos industry such as shipyard, automobile company, asbestos mine, mill or factory are most likely to develop this cancer. While chemotherapy, radiation and surgery are some of the ways to treat this disease, they are not 100% reliable as this disease does not respond to treatment after symptoms have worsened. The long latency period of the disease helps in spreading it to the body and makes any treatments useless. While more and more ways to treat this disease are underway, the medical science has still a long way to go.
Peritoneal and pleural mesothelioma are the two common types of mesothelioma. Peritoneal mesothelioma attacks the stomach lining while pleural mesothelioma attacks the lining of the lungs. Both are equally dangerous and can kill a person within a year of diagnosis.
Mesothelioma in Washington
Below are the figures for the number of deaths, mortality rate (per million population), and years of potential life lost (YPLL) in Washington in the year 1999, among residents aged 15 years and older.
State |
|
Crude Mortality |
Rate |
Rank |
|
Age-Adjusted Mortality |
Rate |
Rank |
|
VYLL to life Expectancy |
Total |
Rank |
VYLL/death |
Rank |
|
Washington |
72 |
11 |
15.90 |
10 |
17.29 |
6 |
947 |
12 |
13.2 |
32 |
According to government statistics, up till 2001, at least 1,730 people have died in Washington since 1979. Out of this total number, more than 1,380 people were victims of mesothelioma. One of the main reasons is the import of vermiculite from Libby, Montana during 1948 and 1993. This vermiculite was imported by the state and was found to be contaminated with asbestos. When it was exfoliated, it released huge amount of dust particles into the air.
Washington received 981 shipments or 63,610 tons of vermiculite in 33 locations. Most of this shipment was sent to Seattle while the rest went to Spokane, Renton, Tacoma, Auburn, Monroe and 8 other unknown locations. The government has listed Vermiculite-Northwest Inc. /W.R. Grace Plant at 1318, North Maple Street in Spokane as the site which has large deposits of asbestos as this plant operated for over 3 decades.
However, one thing to be mentioned is that Washington is one of the leading states to fight against mesothelioma too. State Senator Patty Murray is an active participant, working hard to get asbestos banned from US and calling for public awareness regarding this disease, to save people from this deadly cancer and help the patients. |
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