Used in more that 3000 different types of commercial products, Asbestos is a substance known for its perilous nature – it is responsible for many airborne diseases and innumerable deaths across the world. It is a highly fibrous mineral having thin, long and separable fibers, which can be spun and woven together. Owing to its flexible properties, Asbestos is used for insulation and it becomes the first choice for many industries when it comes to manufacturing products that require heat resistance, high tensile strength, and low electrical properties. Of course, there are better alternatives today.
Asbestos has become a major health concern. Especially the ‘friable’ asbestos, which is dry and gets easily crumbled. These can be quite dangerous when the fibers are released into air. Even some of the non-friable asbestos release airborne fibers on being hammered, cut or chopped. The asbestos fibers once inhaled, enter into the body and then they cannot be expelled. The fibers get embedded in the lung tissues and airways. If an individual is exposed to asbestos for a prolonged period, he/she is most likely to develop an asbestos-related disease such as Mesothelioma. Usually those exposed to asbestos on a casual basis are not expected to develop such diseases.
Who Are Most Affected?
Studies reveal that men between the ages of 50 and 70 with a history of asbestos exposure are most likely to suffer from fatal diseases such as Mesothelioma. As such, people engaged in the shipyards, construction industry, pipe-fitters, boiler-makers, electricians, plumbers or individuals subjected to dangerous asbestos and airborne asbestos fibers are mostly at risk of developing Mesothelioma. There are enough cases, which demonstrate that people dwelling in communities with asbestos factories or mines nearby too are afflicted by the deadly disease. Researches have revealed that entire towns have been affected by the air carrying asbestos fibers. The example of vermiculite asbestos mine in Libby, Montana, where hundreds died of Mesothelioma, clearly indicates the ill effect of asbestos.
Although the percentage of Mesothelioma-affected women is far lesser than men, some cases of second-hand exposure to asbestos have prompted detailed analysis about their effect on women. Researches have shown that women who have male family members working in an asbestos-laden environment are more vulnerable to Mesothelioma. Thus, in many cases, women are known to have contracted the disease by washing the asbestos-clung clothing of male family members.
In What Way Does Asbestos Cause Mesothelioma?
The tiny Asbestos fibers easily enter into the lungs while inhaling and migrate to the pleura, lining the lungs. Once the fibers are lodged into the pleural lining, they start causing irritation in the pleura and damage the cells.
Apart from the pleura, asbestos can also affect the lining of the abdomen – peritoneum, and the lining around the heart – pericardium. These rather rare types of Mesothelioma are caused when the Asbestos fibers travel further into the intestine or reach the heart sac.
Asbestos-related diseases like Mesothelioma take decades to surface. This is the reason why most of the recent cases of Mesothelioma and other asbestos related diseases have been widespread in those individuals who were employed in shipyards during World War II. The shipyard workers are mostly affected by aggressive Mesothelioma because there they are exposed to friable asbestos regularly.
Asbestos is banned in several countries, including the European Union and other nations such as Australia, Argentina, Chile, Croatia and Saudi Arabia. There is a widespread belief that asbestos has been banned in United States as well; however, contrary to the popular belief there exist no such law that prohibits the use of Asbestos. Although a regulation to ban asbestos was finalized in 1989 by Environmental Protection Agency, the regulation was overturned by a New Orleans circuit court two years later. Some of the current U.S. senators, along with asbestos watchdog groups are encouraging the government to reconsider the ban.
