Dangers of Asbestos
The dangers of asbestos were known to many of the companies that made these products as early as the 1920s. However, asbestos was sold and used without warnings up until the 1980s. Alternative
materials were available during this entire period that could have been used in place of asbestos—materials that would have saved thousands of lives.
The major avenue of asbestos exposure happens when it is breathed in. When a person inhales air that's been contaminated with asbestos, the fibers can become lodged in the lungs and in other parts of the body, causing scarring and fibrosis. This process then becomes carcinogenic in a large sub-population of those exposed. The only documented cause of mesothelioma, as well as a major risk factor for lung cancer, is asbestos exposure. The small spaces aboard Navy vessels focused this carcinogenic process even further: as total space aboard the ships was limited, if there was asbestos contamination in the breathable air, it was likely to have a higher concentration of asbestos than would a factory or autobody area. Because of the lack of open air passages on these vessels, circulation of clean air was restricted and air pockets of contaminated air would be created.
Besides mesothelioma other disease types associated with asbestos exposure include:
- Asbestosis
- Asbestos can scar the lung and the lining of the lung. This scarring is known as asbestosis or interstitial fibrosis. If enough scarring occurs, it can impair the elasticity of the lungs and hamper their ability to exchange gases. As a result, there is inadequate oxygen intake to the blood. This impairment leads to shortness of breath. Over time, the breathing capacity can diminish and in some cases, become fatal.
Asbestosis, like other asbestos diseases, is a disease of latency — it takes 10 to 70 years after exposure to asbestos for a person to become sick.
There is no known cure for asbestosis.
- Lung Cancer
- Exposure to asbestos can also cause lung cancer. A person who does not smoke can still get lung cancer from being to exposed to asbestos. If you smoked in the past or are presently smoking, asbestos and tobacco act together, greatly increasing the risk of developing lung cancer. Many studies have shown the increased risk of lung cancer from the combination of smoking and asbestos exposure.
Lung cancer, depending on its severity and the medical history of the individual, may be treated.
- Other Cancers
- Asbestos has also been associated with many other cancers, including cancers of the throat and stomach areas.
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