Claris Law Legal Blogging Community

Editor: M. Brandon Smith
Profession: Attorney at Law

Category: Asbestos and Mesothelioma

The mesothelium is double-layered membrane that protects the internal organs of the body including the heart, lungs and reproductive organs of both males and females. The visceral membrane layer surrounds the organ itself while the other outer layer called the parietal membrane forms a sac around both the organ and visceral membrane collectively. A lubricating fluid is produced by the mesothelium that aids in the glide like movement of the organs such as when a lung expands after taking a breath or when a heart beats in order to pump blood throughout the rest of the body. Depending on its location in the body, the mesothelium has different names: the most common ones are the pleura (surrounds the lungs and chest wall linings), the pericardium (surrounds the heart) and the peritoneum (tissue that covers most the organs in the abdomen).