No doubt you've heard of asbestos and that long-term exposure to it can be fatal. So what exactly is it? Well, asbestos is used to describe certain fibrous minerals that have great fire-proof and insulating properties and high levels of strength. These qualities have led to asbestos being widely used in construction for years in things like roof coatings, tiles and fences, sheeting, piping, car components like clutches, brake pads and transmission parts as well as mill and roll board.
If you breathe in or swallow asbestos fibres then exposure over a period of time can lead to a number of health concerns. Exposure over time has proven to damage lungs significantly because each time it is inhaled the small fibres stick to lung walls.
The diseases that can be caused by this include mesothelioma, lung cancer, pleural plaques and asbestosis. If you're a smoker than the chances of getting one of these diseases following exposure to asbestos are much higher.
Below is some information about the major diseases caused by long-term exposure to asbestos:
Asbestosis
This disease is a progressive disease. It occurs when inhaled asbestos particles scratch the lining of the lungs and cause scars. The scarring makes it difficult for oxygen to pass from the lungs and into the blood stream.
Some of the symptoms of asbestosis are having shortness of breath, and hearing a crackling sound in the lungs when you breath in.
At the time of publication there is no effective treatment for asbestosis.
Lung Cancer
This type of cancer is the biggest killer of all diseases related to asbestos. Most commonly, the diseases affects those people that used to produce asbetsos materials or work with them regularly.
Some of the most common symptoms of lung cancer are breathing pattern changes and coughs. It is not unheard of to also have chest pains, anemia and difficulty breathing.
Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma is a type of cancer found in the chest, abdomen, heart and lung membranes. Just about 100% of the cases of this disease are caused because of asbestos exposure. Typically, this disease shows no signs for many years after the exposure to asbestos has happened.
Given the nastiness of these diseases asbestos should be treated with caution. Instead of tackling an asbestos removal project yourself you should consider hiring asbestos removal contractors to minimise the potential harm to those you love.
If you have been exposed to asbestos and are worried, contact a pulmonologist; they specialise in lung diseases.
