Asbestos Life-Threatening Illnesses: A Case Study

Asbestos once was a vital element in the majority of building projects from commercial to domestic structures in various sections of them, including the roofs. We now know that exposure to this element can be dangerous to your health. Inhaling the particles that come off asbestos can cause Mesothelioma. In its benign state, it is a non-cancerous tumour, but in its malignant form, it is a severe type of rare cancer. For this reason, you need to remove all asbestos from your structures, but in a safe, professional manner.

If you or anyone you know have been exposed to such things as hazardous materials containing asbestos you may want to get checked out by a physician. Asbestos poisoning can lead to a cancer known as mesothelioma. There are several different types of mesothelioma as well including;

It is thought that exposure to this dust through the lungs and skin has contributed to the asthma, gastrointestinal problems, and possibly the increased cancer risk experienced by rescue workers, especially those who were on the site immediately after the attack. Rescue workers continue to struggle with respiratory illness, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and many of them may be at increased risk for developing a number of cancers. The planes were fueled with 24,000 gallons of fuel that spread to 100,000 and 230,000 gallons in diesel oil in the buildings feeling them up with toxic pile of ash. Many of these toxins that the 9/11 first hand responders were exposed to were asbestos which refer to a set of six naturally occurring fibrous minerals that have six primary sub classification chrysotile, crocidolite, amanita, anthophylite, tremollile and achitone. The minerals that the first responders were exposed to could cause mesothelioma cancer. Those from the cite have a 32 percent more likely to have numerous of cancers. 14 years after the 9/11 70,000 patients enrolled in the W.I.C and 21,000 of them are getting treatment and many health programs were created in

According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention), exposure to asbestos increases the risk of developing malignant Mesothelioma. The latency period for the disease is

Asbestos related illnesses will continue to be a problem until all asbestos and asbestos-like materials are banned. Given the abatement processes are costly and require special training, this proves to be a very difficult process.

However, this product is a harmful contaminant. Asbestos has the tendency to break into small particles and remain suspended in the air for longer durations. Any individual that comes in contact or inhales it becomes vulnerable to serious diseases such as asbestosis, lung cancer or the mesothelioma lung cancers.

Asbestos Network defines asbestos as, “A disease cause by exposure to asbestos fibers.” Asbestos fibers are artificially created by humans often use during various man-made construction projects to make stable interiors to create buildings. Asbestos fibers were high in production

At the same time, however, many of the companies employing the workers had full knowledge that asbestos was dangerous and that exposure to asbestos would harm the health of many of the workers. Insulators, plasterers, electricians, pipe fitters, mechanics, iron workers, ship builders, ship workers, brick layers, carpenters, and other tradesmen are just a few examples of workers that were likely to work with asbestos on a day-to-day basis. Also at risk are the families of these workers, as the asbestos fibers may be brought into the home from the clothes, skin, or hair of the worker.

Veterans are a special group. Unfortunately, today men and women are at higher risk than the general population for developing asbestos-related diseases such as mesothelioma cancer. Of this group rely on asbestos past, the main cause of the disease, and the results of these operations as they leave the VA do private service. Asbestos is making it a useful tool for all branches of the military so once was considered for the heat-resistant and fire correction. Ships, tanks, cars, all modes of transportation, such as military aircraft are contained asbestos.

If you think having asbestos in your home will protect you from fire and other chemicals, think again. Everybody knows what asbestos is for. It is claimed before as the miracle mineral because of the properties it possesses and was used in almost every products imaginable, from materials for building to protective gear against fire. Nowadays, with the recent advancement of technology, it has been found that asbestos can actually affect the health of a person, particularly the lungs. The disease is known as mesothelioma, a rare but deadly cancer that affects the lining of the lungs. Most infrastructures today no longer use asbestos because of this discovery, but it doesn’t mean that you are

Asbestos in the home can be very dangerous. It is very common for homes built or remodeled before the 1970’s to have asbestos-containing materials in them. During the twentieth century, about 30 million tons of asbestos fibers were used in the United States, and some of this asbestos ended up in residential buildings. If you have purchased a home or are considering the purchase of one, the presence of asbestos is nor necessarily a problem. The majority of individuals with asbestos related diseases have been in the business of manufacturing, installing and/or removing asbestos products. Fortunately, most people exposed to small amounts of asbestos do not develop asbestos related health problems. However, there is no known “safe” level of exposure, therefore, all exposure to asbestos should be avoided.

Asbestos is harmful, but only if the fibers are in the air. If there are materials containing asbestos in your home, do not disturb them. Untouched materials that are in good condition usually don’t pose a threat. However, Astech can provide free asbestos testing of air samples from your home to determine if asbestos removal is warranted.

On a sociocultural level, many studies like the one above established a standardized understanding of asbestos within the community as a notorious and negative substance synonymous with death. This created a stigma for all forms of asbestos also having this effect, when in fact data shows the contrary. Few studies on the asbestos content within solid foods and water have been produced due to a lack of simple and reliable analytical methods. The World Health Organization notes that “foods that contain soil particles, dust, or dirt probably contain asbestos fibres; crude estimates suggest that the intake of asbestos in food may be significant in comparison with that in drinking-water (12). Concentrations of 0.151 MFL and 4.3–6.6 MFL in beer and 1.7–12.2 MFL in soft drinks have been reported (13)” (World Health Organization, 1996: 7). The World Health Organization further points out that despite the fact asbestos is a known carcinogen if it's inhaled, available research does not support the view that there is an increased risk of cancer affiliated with the ingestion of asbestos through drinking water. The report goes on to show that there are no feeding studies in animals where the ingestion of asbestos consistently increased incidence of tumors in the gastrointestinal tract. This means, no convincing evidence exists that ingested asbestos leads to cancer or that when it's ingested the substance is hazardous to health. The final conclusion of the World Health Organization is

Asbestos is an association of minerals that is found in clusters of fiber. “These fibers are resistant to heat, fire, and chemicals and do not conduct electricity (National Cancer Institute).” Due to it being resistant

Although there have been reports that certain types of asbestos are safe, this is a well-documented myth. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) recently reported that all types of asbestos (chrysotile, amosite, crocidolite, tremolite, actinolite, and anthophylite) are group 1: carcinogenic to humans (IARC 2012). Moreover, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 107000 people die of mesothelioma, lung cancer or asbestosis related to asbestos exposure every year. Furthermore, 125 million people worldwide are currently exposed to asbestos at the workplace. Asbestos is causally linked to an increase in occupational hazard and subsequent