Mesothelioma

I confess. Everything I know about that condition I learned from lawyer commercials urging people to join a lawsuit against any and every one whoever used, bought , sold, installed, or permitted the installation of asbestos.

First, to anyone who suffers that ailment (mesothelioma), I offer my sincere sympathies, and wishes for a recovery. I watched cancer transform my father from a prime example of a man, into a pathetic sufferer.

But, let's talk about asbestos. My first knowledge of insulation came many years ago when a remodeler friend told me of installing insulation in the attic of an older home. He climbed into the uninsulated attic on a very cold winter day. Dressed in a T-shirt, he went about the task of spreading the insulation (ground up newspapers) fed up to him. The attic was hot, warmed by heat seeping up through the ceiling from the heated rooms below.

As the insulation piled up in the attic, the heat from below was cut off. The cold from the roof above him settled into the area and he soon reached for a heavy shirt. Before long, he also had to grab a jacket to continue his work.

He was astounded that insulation piled into that attic could make such a difference in heat escaping from the living quarters below.

This was a miracle... but there was, as always, a devil in the details. The ground-up newspaper being used for insulation was inflamable. In insulating the attic, they were encasing the family below in a very inflamable environment. Subjecting them to a potentially dangerous situation.

Voila! Someone invented asbestos! Asbestos is, essentially, ground up stone. A fluffy material (perfect as an insulation) that was more or less fireproof. (Nothing is truly fireproof, as any fireman will tell you. Even stone will burn if it gets hot enough.)

So, we happily pumped asbestos into attics and into cavities in walls to insulate us from the elements. It made the life of countless thousands more comfortable, more healthful! And, who knows how many lives were saved when fire ignited a building, but the fire fizzled and extinguished when it ran into the asbestos!

Then, alas, something terrible happened (more details... more devils). In rare instances where asbestos (probably installed improperly) leaked into the inhabited environment, tiny particles of it were inhaled by humans. Being, for all practical purposes, stone, it settled to the bottom of the inhalers's lungs, there to remain forever.

Mesothelioma!

Never mind the comfort provided for coutlesss generations. Never mind the thousands protected from a harsh winter environment by this wondrous, fire-resistant insulating product. Lawyers descended upon the scene, intent upon making millions while punishing the miscreants responsible for the suffering inflicted on an almost indiscernible few. They spend thousands on TV advertising... "Please... if you know anyone suffering from mesothelioma, call us... 1-800-whatever!!!"

Now, the people who rescued thousands from the misery of cold nights; the ones who saved millions of dollars in heating and cooling costs; the ones who saved thousands of lives from the sudden ravages of fire, were to be punished, to enrich a few lawyers. All in the guise of relief for the few sufferers.

Will the madness ever end!