What is asbestos?
Most people have probably heard about asbestos, they are even probably aware of how bad they are for our health, but a lot of people don’t know what they really are.
The name “asbestos” doesn’t refer to a particular substance, up to a group of 6 naturally occurring fibrous minerals made of thin, needle-like fibers. They were various useful due to the fact that they were soft and flexible yet resistant to heat, corrosion, and electricity. They occur naturally as ores in various countries throughout the world. The problem with asbestos is their high toxicity upon exposure.
What is asbestos used for?
Due to their numerous useful properties asbestos have found a wide range of uses, ranging from construction, plumbing, making fireproof materials to household utensils.
What are the health risks associated with asbestos exposure?
Exposure to asbestos can lead to a wide range of health problems, most of which affect the lungs. Some of these conditions include:
- Asbestosis
- Pleural effusions
- Pleural plaques
- Pleuritis
- Diffuse pleural thickening
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
The vast majority of asbestos-related diseases occur in older patients, especially men in their 60’s and older. This is due to the fact that asbestos-related diseases are usually asymptomatic for many years before the disease state starts to manifest. The average time between exposure and development of lung cancer is 20 to 30 years (this is known as the latency period). No amount of asbestos exposure is safe, but as expected the biggest health impacts are on those with prolonged exposure to this dangerous material or those exposed to a high concentration over a much shorter period of time. One major issue with asbestos exposure is the irreversibility of its toxicity. It accumulates in the body with every exposure, leading to more cellular damage as time goes on.
What are the risk factors involved in asbestos exposure?
Various factors affect the independent risk of every individual in developing lung diseases associated with asbestos exposure. Some of these risk factors include:
- The level or concentration of asbestos the individual was exposed to
- The duration of exposure
- Age at which the exposure occurred
- The type and size of the asbestos fibers
- The tobacco smoking history of the exposed person
- The presence of other concomitant lung conditions.
Who is at risk of asbestos exposure?
As expected most of those who are at high risk of asbestos exposure and the development of asbestos-related disease are those involved mainly in construction, mining, manufacturing and similarly related profession. This involves professions such as:
- Insulation workers and heating trades
- Construction
- Electricity Generation
- Firefighting
- Industrial workers
- Military Service (particularly among veterans)
- Mining of asbestos or asbestos contaminated mines
- Shipbuilding
Another important aspect to mention is the significant risk of second-hand exposure to the family members of those involved in any of the high-risk professions. Increased incidence of lung cancer has been reported in the families of those who were exposed to asbestos for long periods of time, even if the family had no direct contact with the asbestos source. This is believed to be caused by the asbestos brought home on the clothing of the exposed individual, which leads to secondary exposure. Another group in danger of exposure are those who live in the vicinity of asbestos-contaminated mines or manufacturing industries.
Asbestos materials fall into two risk categories:
- Friable asbestos materials – These are made up of asbestos materials that are easy to break or crumble by hand. These are especially dangerous due to their tendency to release toxic dust into the air. Such products are not commonly seen now except during the renovation of old houses. They include materials such as old asbestos pipe insulation and talcum powder contaminated with asbestos.
- Non-friable asbestos materials: These involve more durable asbestos materials, which are less likely to break apart and cause air pollution. In these materials, the asbestos fibers are firmly entrapped as long as the material is undisturbed. Exposure usually occurs on the destruction and subsequent release of these trapped materials. Examples include asbestos cement slabs and vinyl asbestos tiles.