Asbestos

Health Effects

A dry material that can be crushed into powder by hand pressure is considered friable. This friable condition can result in the fibers becoming airborne and when airborne the fibers become a health hazard.

• Fibers cannot be seen, tasted or smelled
• Fibers are only visible under a microscope
• Due to their aerodynamic properties the fibers can remain airborne for long periods of time
• Exposure produces no immediate side effects
  • Asbestos was popular in 1940’s, but workers didn’t see side effects until 1970’s
  • These workers didn’t know to wear protection
• Primary route of entry: inhalation
• Ingestion and injection were thought to be alternative routes many years ago

Asbestosis

• Scarring of the lung
• Reduces lung capacity
• Key Symptom: Shortness of Breath
• Latency Period: 15 to 30 years

Lung Cancer

• Asbestos exposure is only one way to develop lung cancer
• Key Symptom: Coughing up blood
• Latency period: 30 years
• Smokers who are exposed to fibers are 50-90x more likely to develop cancer

Mesothelioma

• Rarest form of asbestos related diseases
• Cancer of the chest lining
  • Key symptom: Extreme Pain
  • Spreads rapidly
  • Almost always fatal
• Latency period: 30 to 40 years
• No dose-response relationship

Other Diseases

• Cancer of the digestive tract
  • This is uncommon now. Because of the hand washing practices in mines, ingestion among workers was a result of eating lunch with dirty hands