1. What is asbestos?
A group of six different naturally occurring fibers is commonly known as asbestos. They are long, separable strands that are heat resistant and strong enough to be spun and woven. These qualities have made asbestos a widely used material in a variety of products.
2. How does asbestos exposure occur?
Everyone is exposed to microscopic amounts of asbestos through the air, although these are not known to cause physical harm. Before the 1970s, asbestos amounts found in the atmosphere were usually highest in cities and industrial areas. Most people were exposed through the workplace, especially those employed in the following areas:
-Pipe or steam fitter
-Plumber
-Brake Repair Mechanic
-Insulation Installer
-Dry Wall Finisher
-Carpenter
-Roofer
-Electrician
-Welder
-Miner
-Shipyard Worker
The release of asbestos fibers can occur from any disturbance of asbestos-containing material. When that happens, asbestos becomes easy to inhale. Release occurs during product use, demolition, building or home maintenance, repair and remodeling. There is also a possibility that drinking water from asbestos-containing cement pipes can lead to exposure. In addition, there are consumer products that contain levels of asbestos including vermiculite, which is a common ingredient in garden supplies such as fertilizer and potting soil and low levels of amphibole asbestos have been detected in some talc-containing crayons.
3. How does asbestos affect the body?
The main sites damaged from asbestos exposure are the lungs and the pleural membrane, which is the lining that surrounds the lung. Inhaling high levels of asbestos over extended periods of time results in scarring of these tissues. This disease is called asbestosis and is usually found in workers exposed to asbestos, not in the general public. The symptoms include difficulty breathing, coughing and in extreme cases, heart enlargement, but these do not usually appear until conditions are advanced, often 15 or more years after exposure. Asbestosis can eventually lead to disability and death. Mesothelioma is the cancer of the pleural membrane that lines the lungs or the abdominal cavity. It results from the development of various types of pleural abnormalities that are caused by exposure to asbestos. Lung cancer and other cancers are also possible health risks.
4. How likely is asbestos to lead to cancer?
The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have determined that asbestos is a human carcinogen, which are substances that are known or suspected to cause cancer. Studies show that significant exposure to any type of asbestos will increase the risk of cancer. Unfortunately, health problems resulting from asbestos exposure do not occur immediately, but take a number of years to manifest.
5. How can asbestos affect children?
It has not been shown that exposure to asbestos results in birth or developmental defects. Most likely, children exposed to asbestos will experience the same effects seen in adults, but many children were exposed to asbestos through secondary exposure, for instance, inhaling fibers from their parents clothing after they returned home from work.
6. How is asbestos exposure detected?
The important factor to know in asbestos detection is to see a doctor who specializes in asbestos diagnosis, since many physicians are not trained to recognize early symptoms associated with exposure. There are a number of ways doctors evaluate asbestos-related disease. Low levels of asbestos are detectable in urine, feces, mucus, or lung washings of the general public. Medical history, physical examination and diagnostic tests are used initially, but chest x-rays are the key screening tool used to discover changes in the lungs occurring from asbestos exposure. Lung function test and CAT scans also aid in the diagnosis process.