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Sep 27, 2024 · Exposure to asbestos, including chrysotile, causes cancer of the lung, larynx and ovaries, and mesothelioma (a cancer of the pleural and peritoneal linings). There is also clear scientific evidence that asbestos causes chronic respiratory diseases such as asbestosis (fibrosis of the lungs), and other adverse effects on the lungs.
- Chemical Safety and Health
Currently about 125 million people in the world are exposed...
- Chemical Safety and Health
Asbestosis is a rare but serious lung condition that affects people exposed to asbestos (a building material used from the 1950s to the 1990s). It cannot be cured, but treatment may improve the symptoms. You may be able to claim compensation if you get asbestosis.
- Overview
- Uses of Asbestos
- How Asbestos Gets Into The Environment
- Exposure to Asbestos
- How Exposure to Asbestos Could Affect Your Health
- What to Do If You Are Exposed to Asbestos
- Additional Sources of Information
Asbestos is a general name given to several naturally occurring fibrous minerals that have crystallised to form fibres. Asbestos fibres do not dissolve in water or evaporate, they are resistant to heat, fire, chemical and biological degradation and are mechanically strong. Asbestos is generally divided into two sub-groups; serpentine and amphiboles...
The properties of asbestos made it an ideal material for use in a number of products, including insulation material for buildings, boilers and pipes; car brakes and floor tiles, insulating board to protect buildings and ships against fire; asbestos cement for roofing sheets and pipes. Due to the risks to health following inhalation exposure to asbe...
Asbestos is widespread in the environment. It may enter the atmosphere due to the natural weathering of asbestos-containing ores or damage and breakdown of asbestos-containing products including insulation, car brakes and clutches, ceiling and floor tiles and cement.
People may come into contact with asbestos from existing asbestos-containing materials in buildings and products. If they are intact, they pose very little risk. However, if asbestos containing products are damaged in some way, fibres may be released. Caution should be taken when doing DIY work in buildings containing asbestos. Find further advice ...
The presence of asbestos in the environment does not always lead to exposure as you must come into contact with the fibres. You may be exposed by breathing, eating, or drinking the substance or by skin contact. Following exposure to any hazardous chemical, the adverse health effects that you may encounter depend on several factors, including the am...
Intact asbestos materials in a place where they are unlikely to be disturbed should not cause any harm. If you come into contact with asbestos fibres, you should remove yourself from the source of exposure. If you have got asbestos fibres on your skin and clothes do not shake or brush the fibres off as this will make them airborne and prone to bein...
NHS.UK information about asbestosisApr 25, 2024 · Health effects of chronic exposure. Chronic low level inhalation exposure may cause pleural disorders, mesothelioma, or lung cancer; chronic high dose exposure may cause asbestosis. Asbestos is a...
Who is at risk for an asbestos-related disease? What factors affect the risk of developing an asbestos-related disease? How does smoking affect risk? How are asbestos-related diseases detected? How can workers protect themselves from asbestos exposure? What programs are available to help individuals with asbestos-related diseases?
- Asbestos is the name given to six minerals that occur naturally in the environment as bundles of fibers that can be separated into thin, durable th...
- Asbestos has been mined and used commercially in North America since the late 1800s. Its use increased greatly during World War II ( 3 , 4 ). Since...
- People may be exposed to asbestos in their workplace, their communities, or their homes. If products containing asbestos are disturbed, tiny asbest...
- Everyone is exposed to asbestos at some time during their life. Low levels of asbestos are present in the air, water, and soil. However, most peopl...
- Several factors can help to determine how asbestos exposure affects an individual, including: Dose (how much asbestos an individual was exposed to)...
- Many studies have shown that the combination of smoking and asbestos exposure is particularly hazardous. Smokers who are also exposed to asbestos h...
- Individuals who have been exposed (or suspect they have been exposed) to asbestos fibers on the job, through the environment, or at home via a fami...
- The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is a component of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and is the Federal agency responsible...
- Some people with asbestos-related illness may be eligible for Medicare coverage. Information about benefits is available from Medicare’s Regional O...
Jul 8, 2024 · Asbestosis is a chronic (long-term) lung condition caused by exposure to asbestos. Asbestos is a general term for a group of minerals made of microscopic fibres. In the past, it was widely used as a building material. Asbestos can be very dangerous.
Currently about 125 million people in the world are exposed to asbestos at the workplace. In 2004, asbestos-related lung cancer, mesothelioma and asbestosis from occupational exposures resulted in 107,000 deaths and 1,523,000 Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs).
