Asbestos: Still Killing After All These Years
Asbestosis (a chronic inflammatory medical condition affecting the lungs, occurring after long-term, heavy exposure to asbestos) and Mesothelioma are still real threats for hundreds of thousands of people, as well as actual death sentences for others.
OSHA estimates 1.3 million employees in construction and general industry face significant asbestos exposure on the job.
Heaviest exposures occur in the construction industry, particularly during the removal of asbestos during renovation or demolition. Employees are also likely to be exposed during the manufacture of asbestos products (such as textiles, friction products, insulation, and other building materials) and during automotive brake and clutch repair work. Asbestos is well recognized as a health hazard and is highly regulated.
There is no effective treatment or cure for asbestosis.
Health effects of asbestos exposure:
Exposure to airborne friable asbestos may result in a potential health risk because persons breathing the air may breathe in asbestos fibers. Continued exposure can increase the amount of fibers that remain in the lung. Fibers embedded in lung tissue over time may cause serious lung diseases including: asbestosis, lung cancer, or mesothelioma.
- Asbestosis
- Asbestosis is a serious, progressive, long-term non-cancer disease of the lungs. It is caused by inhaling asbestos fibers that irritate lung tissues and cause the tissues to scar. The scarring makes it hard for oxygen to get into the blood. Symptoms of asbestosis include shortness of breath and a dry, crackling sound in the lungs while inhaling. There is no effective treatment for asbestosis.
- Lung Cancer
- Lung cancer causes the largest number of deaths related to asbestos exposure. People who work in the mining, milling, manufacturing of asbestos, and those who use asbestos and its products are more likely to develop lung cancer than the general population. The most common symptoms of lung cancer are coughing and a change in breathing. Other symptoms include shortness of breath, persistent chest pains, hoarseness, and anemia. People who have been exposed to asbestos and also are exposed to some other cancer-causing product, such as cigarette smoke, have a greater risk of developing lung cancer than people who have only been exposed to asbestos.
- Mesothelioma
- Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that is found in the thin lining (membrane) of the lung, chest, abdomen, and heart and almost all cases are linked to exposure to asbestos. This disease may not show up until many years after asbestos exposure.
- Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that is found in the thin lining (membrane) of the lung, chest, abdomen, and heart and almost all cases are linked to exposure to asbestos. This disease may not show up until many years after asbestos exposure.
Past and present uses of asbestos:
- Cement Pipes Laboratory Hoods/Table Tops Elevator Brake Shoes
- Cement Wallboard Laboratory Gloves HVAC Duct Insulation
- Cement Siding Fire Blankets Boiler Insulation
- Asphalt Floor Tile Fire Curtains Breaching Insulation
- Vinyl Floor Tile Elevator Equipment Panels Ductwork Flexible Fabric Connections
- Vinyl Sheet Flooring Caulking/Putties Cooling Towers
- Flooring Backing Adhesives Pipe Insulation (corrugated air-cell, block, etc.)
- Construction Mastics (floor tile, carpet, ceiling tile, etc.)
- Wallboard Heating and Electrical Ducts
- Acoustical Plaster Joint Compounds Vinyl Wall Coverings
- Decorative Plaster Spackling Compounds High Temperature
Gaskets
- Textured Paints/Coatings Roofing Shingles Roofing Felt
- Ceiling Tiles and Lay-in Panels Base Flashing Thermal Paper Products
- Spray-Applied Insulation Fire Doors Electrical Cloth
- Blown-in Insulation Electrical Panel Partitions Fireproofing Materials
- Taping Compounds (thermal) Packing Materials (for wall/floor penetrations)
- Electric Wiring Insulation Chalkboards
