“You have cancer.” Hearing these words will rock your soul and freeze a moment in time in fear forever. These are words that no one ever wants to hear. This is why cancer prevention is so important and there are many things that people can do to try to prevent cancer. However, can mesothelioma be prevented like other cancers?

How Can Mesothelioma Be Prevented?

Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that is usually found in or around the lungs. However, it can form in any mesothelium, the thin layer of tissue that surrounds most internal organs.

Risk Factors for Mesothelioma and Other Cancers

If you are wondering how you can prevent cancer, or how mesothelioma can be prevented, you must first be aware of the risk factors involved. Cancer, including mesothelioma, has several risk factors to be considered. Some risk factors like genetics and age are out of an individual’s control; however, most can be reduced through an individual’s actions and behavior modification.

Common risk factors for cancer include the following:

• Genetics/heredity
• Age
• Diet/exercise
• Lifestyle
• Environment

Steps to Take to Prevent Cancer

Inherited genetic mutations play a major role in about 5 to 10 percent of all cancers. This means that 90 to 95 percent of cancers can potentially be prevented.

Diet and exercise play a major role in cancer prevention in general. Eating mostly fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins while avoiding foods high in sugar, processed meats and foods, and consumption of too much red meat can go a long way in cancer prevention.

The American Cancer Society recommends that adults “get at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity each week (or a combination of these), preferably spread throughout the week.” These diet and exercise recommendations can possibly be linked to about 20 percent of all cancers diagnosed, according to the World Cancer Research Fund.

Other steps that can be taken to prevent cancer include the following: limit or eliminate alcohol consumption, wear and reapply sunscreen regularly when in the sun, quit smoking, protect yourself against HPV, and get cancer screenings regularly as recommended based on your age and risk factors.

These steps can be taken to prevent many cancers, but can prevention of mesothelioma be accomplished with the same steps that can help prevent other cancers?

Mesothelioma is not preventable with these same action steps; however, cancer treatment may be easier for a patient who has been following the guidelines of a healthy diet, exercise, and lifestyle, compared to a mesothelioma patient who has not taken the same precautions.

Can Mesothelioma Be Prevented Through Specific Action Steps?

The primary risk factor to acquiring mesothelioma is exposure to asbestos. In determining mesothelioma prevention, limiting exposure to asbestos is going to be key.

People who work in industries with a high risk of exposure to asbestos might wonder: “I work with asbestos every day, so can mesothelioma be prevented for me?” Action steps can be taken to reduce the personal risk of asbestos exposure and decrease the odds of acquiring mesothelioma as a result of that exposure. These action steps need to be taken before, during, and after your planned asbestos exposure.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has standard requirements to protect workers from exposure to asbestos. Some of these requirements include:

• Monitoring levels of asbestos particles in the air;
• Providing personal protective equipment to be worn during exposure including respiratory masks;
• Providing specific instructions on disrobing and discarding personal protective equipment after exposure; and
• Medical monitoring of employees who have been exposed to asbestos.

Proper Mesothelioma Prevention Steps Are Not Always Taken

Nemeroff Law Firm has years of experience representing individuals with mesothelioma, and they commonly ask this basic question: Can mesothelioma be prevented?  Unfortunately, if you are asking a mesothelioma lawyer this question, it is probably too late. There are several steps that should be taken to prevent mesothelioma. However, if these steps weren’t taken for you or your loved one, the experienced mesothelioma lawyers at Nemeroff Law Firm can help. Contact us at 866-342-1929 or via email.