Asbestos Poisoning
Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that was used commonly in buildings for insulation. Asbestos fibers are exceptionally strong, flexible and are resistant to heat and chemicals degradation. Asbestos is commonly found in ceiling tiles, flooring and pipes among other things. It is estimated that 30 million tons of asbestos was utilized in the United States in about 3,000 different products in the automotive, textile, construction, and electronics industries.
Asbestos has come under fire over the past few decades once a connection was made between asbestos exposure and deteriorating health was established. Asbestos poisoning is a general term given to any ill health resulting from asbestos exposure.
If left untouched and unhampered, asbestos is not an immediate hazard. It is only when asbestos are disturbed or damaged that it becomes a hazard. The asbestos minerals are friable, meaning they have a tendency to break up and separate into microscopic-size particles. Once broken into such small particles, they can remain airborne and can be easily inhaled. Once inhaled, asbestos can cause a variety of disorders and diseases manifesting itself in a wide array of symptoms.
People who have been occupationally exposed to asbestos are at a high risk for asbestos poisoning.
Shortly after the turn of the 20th century, medical professionals began to see an emerging trend between an unusually large number of deaths related to pulmonary disease and lung diseases themselves in areas that had asbestos mines and asbestos fabrication industries. Researchers began to notice a large number of deaths and lung problems in asbestos mining towns. In 1917 and 1918, it was observed by several studies in the United States that asbestos workers were dying unnaturally young. Even insurance companies began decreasing policies and benefits for asbestos workers as early as 1908.
More definitive evidence of asbestos poisoning surfaced in the mid-to-late twentieth century, because of the long incubation period of asbestos required before the developing of asbestos-related diseases. Depending on the concentration and longevity of asbestos exposure, symptoms of disease won't present itself from a few years to over forty years.
As mentioned earlier, individuals who are occupationally exposed to asbestos, be it in asbestos mines, asbestos fabrication, or construction, have a higher chance of asbestos poisoning. Doctors often compare the dangers of asbestos to those of smoking cigarettes. The analogy is straightforward: the more cigarettes one smokes, the greater the danger for developing lung cancer. Similarly, the more one is exposed to asbestos, the greater the chance for developing an asbestos- related disease. This is why asbestos poisoning is often called an occupational hazard disease, because the people who commonly work with the material are the most at risk for developing an asbestos related disease.
Asbestos Poisoning
