Mesothelioma
is a form of cancer that is almost
always caused by previous exposure to asbestos. In this disease,
malignant cells develop in the mesothelium, a protective lining
that covers most of the body's internal organs. Its most common
site is the pleura (outer lining of the lungs and chest cavity),
but it may also occur in the peritoneum (the lining of the
abdominal cavity) or the pericardium (a sac that surrounds the
heart).
Most people who develop mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they inhaled asbestos particles, or have been exposed to asbestos dust and fibre in other ways, such as by washing the clothes of a family member who worked with asbestos, or by home renovation using asbestos cement products. Unlike lung cancer, there is no association between mesothelioma and smoking
