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How Is Mesothelioma Treated?
Most people who develop mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they inhaled asbestos particles. However, they may have been been exposed to asbestos dust and fibre in other ways. This could include working with asbestos or by home renovation using ...
How safe is your make-up?
Many women wear make-up every day. It enhances appearance and can add confidence. However many cosmetics and skin care preparations contain carcinogenic ingredients. Foundation creams often contain bentonite which is used to put out fires.It suffocates ...
How To Handle Asbestos In Your Home
Asbestos has been related with many debilitating diseases. Asbestos was once a widely used building material because it is strong and durable. If you live in a home that is over 20 years old there is a possibility that there is asbestos in your home. ...
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Asbestos can kill, but only in the right (!) circumstances
Asbestos is a very hazardous material, but it is only risk to health when the asbestos fibres become airborne, are inhaled and are deposited in your lungs. So, asbestos materials that are undamaged and undisturbed are not a risk.
If the fibres do get into the atmosphere in significant quantities they are a serious health risk. Inhalation of asbestos fibres can lead to serious diseases such as lung cancer, mesothelioma (a cancer of the lining of the chest and abdomen) and asbestosis (a chronic fibrosis of the lungs). In the past, several industries generated high levels of asbestos fibre in the air. As a result, there are many cases of disease, and many deaths – at least 3500 deaths a year in the UK at present.
Because asbestos was used so widely in buildings, there are groups of people who may still be exposed to fibres – but usually at lower concentrations than the older industries. These groups include tradesmen such as plumbers and electricians, and other building and maintenance workers. They are exposed to asbestos when they accidentally disturb asbestos fibres during their normal work.
Diseases caused by asbestos
Cancers
Mesothelioma is a cancer of the chest and abdominal lining. Almost all cases are caused by asbestos. It is always fatal. Mesothelioma takes a long time to develop, from the time of first exposure to development of the disease (known as its latency period): between 15 and 60 years. Exposure to high levels for long periods is not necessary, but the risk increases with higher and longer exposures. It is caused by the brown and blue asbestos, but not by white asbestos.
Lung Cancer
Lung Cancer caused by asbestos is identical to that caused by smoking. People who smoke and are exposed to asbestos run an even higher risk. The latency period is usually at least 20 years. It can be caused by any asbestos fibre, but the risk is higher from brown and blue asbestos.
Other lung diseases
Asbestosis is a disease which causes scarring of the lung tissue - fibrosis. The tissue becomes leathery and less flexible. The lungs' is less able to absorb oxygen from the air and pass it into the blood. Breathing becomes more difficult and the disease progresses over the years. It is sometimes quoted as an underlying cause of death when a sufferer dies. Latency period is about 15 to 30 years.
Pleural plaques or diffuse pleural thickening is a scarring of the chest lining. It can be seen on X-rays but does not cause noticeable symptoms. There is no know connection between pleural plaques and other asbestos diseases, but it is used as a marker of asbestos exposure.
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