The Effects of Asbestos
Asbestos was commonly known in the market mainly used for house roofing materials, raw materials for brakes and fire resistant devices.
During its development, it is known that asbestos is very dangerous. From some experience, the use of asbestos as a building material has generated a lot of casualties. In Japan alone, caused by inhaling asbestos contaminated air, 500 people died of the world (1995). This number increased to 878 people in 2003. And until that moment, the Japanese government banned all forms of buildings using asbestos materials. And several countries in Europe, in the late 80s began banning of asbestos as a raw material construction of houses or buildings that will be inhabited by humans. This was followed by many other countries like America, Sweden, Iceland and many other countries.
Asbestos Is it?
Asbestos is a mineral form of silica fibers belonging to the serpentine group (krisotil which is a magnesium silicate hydroxide with a composition Mg6 (OH) 6 (Si4O11) H2O), and amphibole of rock-forming minerals, including: actinolite, amosite (Brown asbestos, cummingtonite, grunnerite), anthophyllite, chrysotile (white asbestos), crocidolite (blue asbestos), tremolite, or a mixture of at least contain one of these minerals. Asbestos dust particles of asbestos are flying / scattered in the air or deposited asbestos particles can be scattered into the air as dust in work environment.
Asbestos fibers can be inhaled asbestos particles diameter is less than 3 um and whose length is at least three times the length of its diameter. Asbestos dust can contaminate through:
- The mining or milling operations;
- Processing of materials containing asbestos or from the manufacture / production goods containing asbestos;
- The use or the use of goods produced that contain asbestos;
- Activities disassemble, open, removing, repairing the damage (repair) ortreat goods produced that contain asbestos;
- Activities to destroy and demolish factory buildings or other structures
- Containing materials berasbes;
- Transfer activity (transport), stores and activities that cause
- Incidence of physical contact or touch with asbestos or materials contain asbestos;
- Other activities that pose the risk of asbestos dust in the air.
Are the dangers of asbestos?
Health hazards posed to asbestos dust:
(A) Asbestosis: fibrosis (thickening and causing lacerations to the lungs);
(B) Lung cancer: including throat cancer stem;
(C) Mesothelioma: cancer in other parts of the respiratory tract such as cancer of the pleura or peritoneum.
Asbestos dust can also cause pleural thickening here and there (diffuse pleural thickening) and the incidence of pleural plaques lining (circumscribed pleural plaques) that can leads to calcification. Inhaled asbestos fibers will enter into the lungs and cause connective tissue, inflammation, and adhesions to the lung.
Asbestosis
Patients will complain of cough, weight loss, shortness of breath on exertion. Even when it has advanced, at rest can occur crowded. What harm is shortness of breath continued to worsen even if the patient be kept away from exposure to asbestos.
Asbestos poisoning process does not happen in real time, toxins will attack humans Chrysotile cumulatively, will trigger the process of Chrysotile infected human cancers occur within tens of years later. After 15 years of exposure, asbestosis can lead to the emergence of malignant pleural tumors (= Mesothelioma). These tumors are resistant to various therapies and the prognosis is poor.
Anyone who is at risk of exposure to Asbestos?
Those at highest risk of this disease are those who work on: the pipe-making factory, welding industry, construction and ship building. Also included are those who use asbestos as roof and materials containing asbestos.
So, from now on, let us be alert and avoid the occurrence of asbestos exposure that would be bad for our health.
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