Mesothelioma cancer deaths from asbestos still rising in U.S.

According to health officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have reported that deaths from malignant mesothelioma are still on the rise.

The CDC analyzed death records and found that 18,068 deaths from malignant mesothelioma occurred between 1999 and 2005, and that during that period, the number of mesothelioma deaths per year rose from 2482 to 2704.

The CDC’s weekly bulletin on illness and death shows that the vast majority of mesothelioma deaths involved white men. The state of Maine had the highest number of deaths with 173 with an annual rate of 27.5 per million.

Mesothelioma, along with some lung cancer and gastrointestinal cancer, is linked to asbestos exposure, usually in an occupational setting like refineries or ship yards.

Asbestos-Caused Mesothelioma Claims Life of Wife, Mother

Mesothelioma has claimed the life of another victim. Now, the widower of Linda Sinnett is mourning her loss and remembering her life. John Sinnett lost his wife Linda to peritoneal mesothelioma this past July. This came as something of a shock, as Linda had never worked in an asbestos-laden environment.

"She was full of spirit," said John. The two had been friends since the age of six, were married for 35 years, and had three children together. "Linda was like the boxer Rocky. If the cancer knocked her down she would get up again and fight back. She was a loving woman who was very close to her family."

A coroner's inquest into Linda's death was held last week, where it was revealed that she was likely exposed to asbestos as a child. Wiltshire and Swindon Coroner David Ridley stated that he believes Linda was exposed to asbestos brought home of the dirty work coveralls of her father. When Linda's mother washed the clothes, airborne asbestos fibers could have been released. "In all probability the washing was done in the same area as the kitchen. Come tea time he (her father) would come home, take his overalls off where plenty of asbestos fibers would be thrown into the same area. Consequently this would come into contact with the food and preparation areas and be ingested."

Peritoneal mesothelioma is the least common type of mesothelioma. In the United Kingdom, the peritoneal form of the disease accounts for only 30 percent of diagnosed cases. The most commonly diagnosed form of mesothelioma is pleural mesothelioma, which manifests within the lining of the lungs, and in extremely rare cases, mesothelioma is discovered in the pericardium, or lining of the heart.