Asbestos: A Deadly Environmental & Health Hazard

Asbestos is a term used for some naturally occurring minerals that form long thin fibers and fiber bundles on crystallization. Most commonly found group is the serpentine group that includes Chrysotile (white asbestos). It is also the most frequently mined form of Asbestos. Another very important asbestos group is known as the amphiboles, which includes Crocidolite (blue asbestos) and Amosite (brown asbestos). The asbestos fibers have high tensile strength, and chemical, electrical and heat resistance properties and so are extremely useful as a building/insulation material. Asbestos has been used extensively all over the world. Asbestos: General Information Although Asbestos is a hazardous material, it poses a health risk only if the Asbestos fibers become airborne and subsequently inhaled. Therefore, most Asbestos materials pose little health risk unless they are disturbed in a way that allows the fibers to be released into the atmosphere. Inhalation of asbestos fibers can lead to serious diseases such as lung cancer, Mesothelioma (a cancer of the lining of the lungs or lower digestive tract) and asbestosis (a chronic fibrosis of the lungs). Many industries used Asbestos extensively in the past, exposing their workers to this deadly materials. As a result, many new cases of Asbestos caused ailments are occurring now. However, the fact that Asbestos was also installed in many buildings means that a wider range of people still have the potential to be exposed – particularly building and maintenance workers. For this reason, the latest revision of the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations introduces (from May 2004) a new responsibility on those responsible for non-domestic premises to manage the asbestos contained in them. Asbestos Caused Diseases Mesothelioma is a cancer of the pleural and peritoneal lining. It exclusively related to asbestos exposure. By the time it is diagnosed, it is usually fatal. Mesothelioma has a long latency period (time between exposure and onset of disease) of at least 15 years and sometimes as long as 60 years. Asbestosis is a scarring of the lung tissue. This scarring impairs the elasticity of the lung and hampers its ability to exchange gases. This leads to inadequate oxygen intake to the blood. Asbestosis restricts breathing leading to decreased lung volume and increased resistance in the airways. It is a slowly progressive disease with a latency period of 15 to 30 years. Lung Cancer is a malignant tumor of the bronchi covering. The tumor grows through surrounding tissue, invading and often obstructing air passages. Again, the disease has a long latency period of at least 20 years. The victims of all these asbestos related diseases are eligible to file lawsuits for compensation against the persons and organizations responsible for causing asbestos exposure. They can take the help of mesothelioma and asbestos attorneys to fight their compensation

claims.

Asbestos: Cause Of Deadly Mesothelioma

A View of Mesothelioma Asbestos is the commercial name given to certain types of fibrous materials. They are silicates of varying compositions; the silica combined with such bases as Magnesium, Iron, Calcium, sodium and Aluminum. Asbestos fibers are usually from 20 to 500  in length and 0.5 to 50 in diameter. Asbestos bodies appear as golden brown or beaded rods with a translucent center. The fibers are insoluble. The exposure of asbestos causes fibers to be inhaled and fine dust deposited in the alveoli inside the lungs consequently causing a type of cancer called Mesothelioma (a deadly tumor) involving Mesothelial tissues or usually cells of lungs or stomach and abdominal organs. Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer of the Pleura (lung cancer) and Peritoneum (abdomen cancer). Mesothelioma has been shown to have a strong association with the crocidolite variety of asbestos. Pleural mesothelioma, the most common manifestation of asbestos exposure, is well-circumscribed plaques of dense collagen, often containing calcium. Peritoneum Mesothelioma may or may not contain asbestos bodies and rarely do they occur in persons who have no history or evidence of asbestos exposure. Mesothelioma not only occurs in people who are exposed the asbestos, but also to them who had been living in vicinity to asbestos manufacturing process or those staying in asbestos contaminated buildings. In Great Britain, an association was reported between Mesothelioma and people living within 1 kilometer of an asbestos factory. The risk of Mesothelioma is reported to be high in those cases where occupational exposure to asbestos is combined with cigarette smoking. Mesothelioma usually does not appear until after 5 to 10 years of exposure. Mesothelioma causes mechanical irritation and in the advanced cases, there may be symptoms of clubbing of fingers, and cardiac distress. The survival time of Mesothelioma patients is generally ranges from 12 months to 2 years of diagnosis and very few survive longer than 2 years. The following measures can be useful in preventing occurrences of Mesothelioma: • Use of safer types of asbestos (chrysolite and amosite) • Substitution of other insulators such as glass fiber, mineral wool, calcium silicate plastic foams • Rigorous dust control • Periodic examination of workers such as biological monitoring (clinical, X-ray, lung function) The government should take adequate steps and make appropriate legislation to stop or minimize the case of asbestos exposure Mesothelioma. If you or any one of your families or friends is suffering from Mesothelioma, you have the legal right to file lawsuits for getting compensation for the medical facilities, loss of income and pain. You can consult a qualified attorney for filing a Mesothelioma lawsuit for comensation.

Asbestos Symptoms: Late Indicators

Asbestos symptoms refer to the changes in the body that indicate some type of serious diseases caused by exposure to asbestos particles. Awareness about asbestos symptoms is important because danger of asbestos exposure affects about 1.3 million people every year. Individuals employed in the railroad, factory, shipyard, automobile, construction and building industries in last six decades are at the risk of developing asbestos symptoms. Most unfortunate aspect of the asbestos related diseases is that the asbestos symptoms may lie dormant in the body for decades. This long latency period does not let the victim or his family knows about the existence of the disease. Asbestos symptoms might appear after 20-50 years of exposure. No study so far has come out with convincing evidence to show the effects of different amount and different duration of exposure to asbestos particles. Although individuals who have been exposed to asbestos for a longer time are more susceptible to asbestos related diseases, yet there are instances when patients developed serious disease with only a few months exposure. When exposed to asbestos, individuals either inhale or ingest the asbestos fibers. Natural destination of these fibers after inhalation is lungs while the ingested asbestos fibers take the route of digestive system. Therefore, asbestos symptoms start appearing in either lungs or digestive system. However, in some cases asbestos symptoms may appear in other organs also. Asbestos symptoms may be the indicators of cancerous and non- cancerous type of asbestos diseases. Asbestosis is a non-cancerous type of asbestos disease. This disease has asbestos symptoms such as shortness of breath, chest pain and persistent cough. Ignorance of these symptoms may lead to serious disability or even death. Mesothelioma is cancerous type of asbestos disease. Pleural mesothelioma affects the lining of lungs known as pleural membrane. Peritoneal mesothelioma shows its affect on the lining of organs of abdomen known as peritoneal membrane. Shortness of breath, persistent cough, chest pain and building up of fluids in the lungs are some symptoms of pleural mesothelioma. Asbestos symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma are weight loss, nausea, difficulty in bowel movements, foot swelling, anemia and building up of fluid in abdomen. In rare cases, fever and night sweating may also appear as asbestos symptoms. People suffering from asbestos symptoms can file lawsuits against the persons and organizations for causing asbestos exposure. These Asbestos lawsuits can help the victims of asbestos symptoms to recover the damages for medical expenses, loss of income, lost earning capacity, pain and psychological sufferings.

Understanding The Relation Between Asbestos Exposure And Mesothelioma Lung Cancer

An understanding of asbestos is necessary before we try to understand mesothelioma lung cancer. Asbestos, a natural fibrous mineral, used commonly in construction process and manufacturing industries is detrimental to human health. Continuous inhalation of its fibers enhances the susceptibility to respiratory disorders and can lead to many dangerous diseases. A leading example of such dangerous disease is Mesothelioma lung cancer. Actually, mesothelioma lung cancer is misnomer because mesothelioma cancers affect the lining of lungs (pleura) and abdomen and not the lungs. Since mesothelioma cancers mostly affect the lining of the lungs, it is generally called mesothelioma lung cancer. The workers who had worked in industries such as shipbuilding, asbestos mining, and asbestos production are vulnerable to mesothelioma cancers. Mesothelioma and the Role of Carcinogens: What is mesothelioma cancer and how does the lining of the lung become cancerous? Cancer is a tumor that is malignant in nature. Tumor is formed when there is abnormal cell division and cell multiplication in the cancerous cells. Exposure to carcinogens or cancer-causing material like cigarette smoke, asbestos and silica dust is instrumental in this abnormal cell division and formation of tumor. Mesothelioma cancer is directly linked to asbestos exposure. However, those already exposed to asbestos have a greater chance of developing lung cancer if they are exposed to other carcinogens such as cigarette smoke. A study reports that the workers with a history of asbestos exposure and cigarette smoke are more prone to lung cancer than the non-smokers and those with no history of asbestos exposure. Complications Associated with Mesothelioma Cancer: Normally, the latency stage for asbestos-related diseases in general and mesothelioma cancers of the lining of lung in particular, 20-50 years, which makes detection of Mesothelioma a complicated issue. This situation is further aggravated particularly where the worker is also addicted to cigarette smoking. By the time, the disease shows its symptoms, a considerable exposure to additional carcinogens linked to cigarette smoking has already taken place. This makes a worker more vulnerable to lung cancer besides the vulnerability to mesothelioma cancers. Mesothelioma Cancers and Legal Redress: The Government is conscious of the ill effects of asbestos exposure and the seriousness of mesothelioma cancer. The employees working in factories with significant risk of asbestos exposure are eligible for Mesothelioma compensation, if the exposure is the cause of Mesothelioma. There has been a spate of lawsuits for seeking compensation for mesothelioma and lung cancers. In many cases, the courts have awarded heavy sums as compensation against the asbestos manufacturing companies.