Asbestos Poisoning Disease Cure

Asbestos Poisoning Disease Cure

Both asbestosis and mesothelioma are progressive, incurable diseases. Asbestosis grows slowly worse over a long period of time, while mesothelioma is a very aggressive malignancy. The average survival time for a mesothelioma patient after diagnosis seems to hover around twelve months, although these figures can be deceptive for cases that are diagnosed early and treated aggressively.

A 2005 report that surveyed the skilled use of surgery and chemotherapy in treating pleural mesothelioma showed a reduction in morbidity rate that was traditionally ranged from 35% to 50%, down to less than four percent. Median survival time jumped to nineteen months, with two year survival rate at 38% of patients and five year survival at 19%. These figures indicate substantial steps forward with effective treatment modalities and experienced surgeons. So progress is being made.
asbestos poisoning

Asbestos Poisoning Symptoms

Asbestos Poisoning Symptoms

One of the unusual characteristics of asbestos poisoning is the length of time that they take to develop after a person has inhaled or ingested asbestos fibers. The latency period for mesothelioma is between twenty and fifty years. An analysis of over 2,500 cases in the Italian registry for the disease showed a median latency of 44.6 years. Someone who inhaled asbestos-laden dust on a construction site while in his late twenties may begin to show symptoms of mesothelioma well after he has retired.

Asbestosis can take twenty years to develop, as can asbestos-related lung cancer. Asbestos poisoning also shares early symptoms with many other, more common diseases such as pneumonia and COPD. Tightness in the chest, a persistent dry cough, shortness of breath and chest pain all are characteristics of asbestos diseases – and many others as well. That means that asbestos diseases often aren’t diagnosed until they have developed into a major health problem.
asbestos-poisoning-4

Impact of Asbestos Poisoning

Impact of Asbestos Poisoning

The three principal and most lethal results of asbestos poisoning are :

• asbestosis,
• malignant mesothelioma and
• asbestos lung cancer.

Asbestosis occurs when the asbestos fibers embedded in the inner lung tissue cause the tissue to harden and lose much of its ability to absorb oxygen. The disease is progressive; an asbestosis victim will gradually loose lung capacity and the ability to engage in extended physical endeavors.

Mesothelioma is a deadly form of cancer that develops in the mesothelium, a membrane that lines the body’s chest and abdominal cavities. Sections of this membrane also wrap around the lungs and form a sac around the heart for protective purposes. When asbestos fibers lodge in the mesothelium they can cause the development of malformed cells that are malignant and that multiply uncontrollably. Pleural mesothelioma, or cancer in the outer lining of the lung, is the most common form of the disease representing two thirds or more of all cases.

Lung cancer from asbestos exposure can also develop when asbestos fibers become lodged in the lungs. When mesothelioma is in its advanced stages, tumors begin to develop in nearby tissues and organs. The lungs are just beneath the cancerous tissue that develops with pleural mesothelioma, and lung cancer – malignant tumors within the lung – can be caused by metastatic mesothelioma. However it is also true that asbestos poisoning in the lungs can cause lung cancer or be a contributing cause, especially with smokers who have been exposed to asbestos fibers and who develop lung cancer.
Asbestos Poisoning

Asbestos Poisoning 4

Asbestos Poisoning4

Asbestos poisoning is the impact that asbestos exposure can have on humans. Its toxicity stems from the fact that the microscopic fibers which make up asbestos in its pure form can have a devastating impact on human health when they are inhaled or ingested. Asbestos fibers are produced by asbestos products that are deteriorating or that have been mangled in some fashion. When asbestos products become worn they become “friable,” which means that they will crumble and release asbestos fibers into the air.

When a person inhales or accidently swallows asbestos fibers, there is no immediate reaction as with toxins that are usually referred to as poisons; in fact, if you were to swallow or inhale asbestos fibers you probably wouldn’t notice. They are invisible to the human eye and light enough to stay afloat in a cloud of dust for a long period. Asbestos poisoning is the result of asbestos fibers becoming lodged in the human body which cannot shed them through natural methods.
asbestos poisoning

Asbestos Poisoning 2

Asbestos Poisoning 2
Other diseases caused by asbestos poisoning include:

Asbestos Warts – this is caused when the sharp asbestos fibers are lodge in the skin. When this occurs, the body responds with inflammation that causes skin to overgrow the asbestos fibers. This can lead to callous-like growths around the affected region. It is regarded as a relatively harmless condition.

Pleural Diseases – Can be caused when asbestos fibers penetrate the pleura, a sac that covers the outer surface of the lungs. Pleural plaques are discrete fibrous or partially calcified thickened area of the pleura. Diffuse pleural thickening is similar to pleural plaques and is sometimes associated with asbestosis. If these pleural diseases are extensive and widespread, it can cause impairment of lung function.

Other Cancers – besides mesothelioma and lung cancers, other cancers has been shown to be associated with asbestos exposure and poisoning. These are all gastrointestinal cancers with cancers of the esophagus, stomach, colon and rectum being reported. Also, asbestos poisoning has been linked to some cases of larynx cancer.

Although the current use of asbestos and asbestos products has dramatically decreased, they are still found in many residential and commercial settings and continue to pose a health risk to workers and others. Research has yet to determine a safe level of exposure to asbestos, but one thing is for certain; the more prolonged the exposure, the greater the risk becomes for developing an asbestos related disease.

Until 1972, most of the buildings in North America were constructed with asbestos, including schools, offices and homes. At the time, no one had any idea that when inhaled asbestos was deadly. Today, people and asbestos precariously coexist in old buildings – which may lead to future asbestos-related problems since symptoms of asbestos poisoning can go unnoticed for many years. This somewhat reflects that society has not necessarily taken all the appropriate precautions to protect the public despite our increasing knowledge about asbestos and its hazards.

Asbestos Poisoning 1

Asbestos Poisoning 1
There are three major diseases that are triggered by asbestos poisoning. These are asbestosis, mesothelioma, and lung cancer. A more comprehensive review of these diseases can be found on separate web pages.

Asbestosis is caused when asbestos fibers are inhaled and become trapped in the lungs. In response to the foreign objects (asbestos fibers), the body tries to get rid of it by attempting to dissolve the particles by producing an acid. Unfortunately, the acid has virtually no impact on the asbestos fibers, but is detrimental to the lung tissues. With continual acid secretions, scarring of the lung tissue will lead to pulmonary fibrosis. The scarring can become so severe that it will reduce the functioning of the lungs.

Mesothelioma is a cancer of affecting the outside tissue of the lungs – the pleura, peritoneum, and pericardium. Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that is solely attributed to asbestos poisoning. Symptoms of mesothelioma may not appear until 10 to 50 years after exposure to asbestos. Shortness of breath and pain in the chest due to an accumulation of fluid in the pleura are often symptoms of pleural mesothelioma. Mesothelioma, like other cancers, can be lethal if it metastasize and invade other organs. The prognosis for mesothelioma is not good. It is estimated that people die within two to four years once mesothelioma is diagnosed.

Lung Cancer can also be caused by exposure to asbestos. Lung cancer is a malignant tumour of the lungs, and is the most lethal malignant tumor worldwide. Most commonly it is bronchogenic carcinoma - about 90% of lung cancer cases. The chances of developing lung cancer from asbestos are greatly increased with smoking. The exposure to manifestation period for lung cancer from asbestos exposure is from 15 to 35 years.

Asbestos Poisoning

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