| Asbestos and Respiratory Diseases | | | | doctor. You should also start keeping a |
| | | | written record of things you notice about |
| Could your job be making you sick? For too | | | | your condition, according to AAFP, including: |
| many workers, that's a real danger. The air | | | | |
| they breathe on the job is a health hazard. | | | | * when symptoms started |
| According to the Centers for Disease Control | | | | |
| and Prevention (CDC), occupationally-related | | | | * how often they occur |
| airway diseases, including asthma and chronic | | | | |
| obstructive pulmonary disease | | | | * if they get worse or better at certain |
| | | | times of the day or on certain days |
| (COPD), pose a significant public health | | | | |
| threat. CDC says nearly 30 percent of COPD | | | | * what potential hazards you may be exposed |
| and adult asthma may be attributable to | | | | to at work, as well as what precautions you |
| occupational exposure and more than 20 | | | | have been told to follow when around these |
| million U.S. workers are exposed to | | | | hazards |
| substances that can cause airway diseases. | | | | |
| | | | * what days and shifts you work and how these |
| Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary | | | | relate to the way you feel |
| disease (primarily chronic bronchitis and | | | | |
| emphysema) are diseases of the lung airways. | | | | You can also talk with other workers to see |
| CDC says both diseases can be brought on by | | | | if they're experiencing unusual symptoms, as |
| exposure to irritants in the workplace. In | | | | well as your supervisors. Depending on the |
| addition, many workers are unaware that | | | | type of exposure, solutions can include more |
| pre-existing asthma and COPD may be worsened | | | | ventilation as well as changes in work |
| by the work environment. | | | | practices and/or machinery. It's also |
| | | | important that anyone who is concerned about |
| On-the-job hazards | | | | lung exposure quit smoking if they haven't |
| | | | already done so. |
| What kind of irritants are we talking about? | | | | |
| Here's are some examples, compiled from CDC, | | | | The Dangers of Asbestos |
| the American Lung Association (ALA), and the | | | | |
| American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP): | | | | Learn the dangers of asbestos. Before 1972 |
| | | | the most common element used to insulate |
| * Asbestos was commonly used as an insulator | | | | buildings was asbestos. Only later did we |
| and fire retardant until scientists | | | | find out that breathing in the element could |
| discovered that asbestos fibers are deadly, | | | | result in lung restrictive illnesses and |
| potentially causing asbestosis ( scarring of | | | | death. |
| lung tissues) and lung cancer. Workers most | | | | |
| at risk of asbestos exposure include those in | | | | Until 1972, most of the buildings in this |
| mining, construction, demolition, shipyards, | | | | country were constructed with asbestos, |
| tiling, electrical insulation, and paving, | | | | including schools, offices and homes. At the |
| among other industries. ALA says it can be | | | | time, no one had any idea that when inhaled |
| years between exposure to asbestos and | | | | asbestos was deadly. Today, people and |
| development of symptoms. | | | | asbestos precariously coexist in old |
| | | | buildings. However, it is only when asbestos |
| * Dust can come from such things as wood, | | | | is disturbed that it becomes a health threat |
| cotton, coal, asbestos, silica and talc. ALA | | | | to human beings. |
| says dusts from textile processing cause | | | | |
| byssinosis ("brown lung"), a chronic | | | | Asbestos is a naturally occurring material |
| condition involving obstruction of the small | | | | that was used commonly in buildings for |
| airways. Coal dust causes coal workers' | | | | insulation. Asbestos fibers are exceptionally |
| pneumoconiosis or "black lung," also an | | | | strong and are resistant to heat. Asbestos is |
| obstruction of the small airways. Silica | | | | commonly found in ceiling tiles, flooring and |
| affects workers in mines, foundries, blasting | | | | pipes. |
| operations, and stone, glass, and clay | | | | |
| manufacturing. | | | | Asbestos only becomes a danger when it is |
| | | | disturbed, causing the fibers to become |
| Fumes can be given off by metals that are | | | | airborne. This is commonly referred to as |
| heated and cooled quickly, according to AAFP. | | | | friable asbestos, while intact asbestos is |
| Examples of jobs that involve exposure to | | | | referred to as non-friable asbestos. Friable |
| such fumes are welding, smelting, furnace | | | | asbestos has become airborne and the human |
| work, pottery making, plastics manufacture | | | | lungs are now susceptible to breathing in the |
| and rubber operations. | | | | airborne fibers. Research has yet to |
| | | | determine a safe level of exposure to |
| * Toxins found in various grains are a risk | | | | asbestos, but one thing is for certain; the |
| for hundreds of thousands of agricultural | | | | more prolonged the exposure, the greater the |
| workers. Moldy hay can produce flu-like | | | | risk becomes for developing an asbestos |
| symptoms according to AAFP. Farm workers are | | | | related disease. |
| also at risk of exposure to hair, feathers, | | | | |
| animal dander, and bacteria. | | | | Doctors often compare the dangers associated |
| | | | with asbestos to those of smoking cigarettes. |
| * Anthrax is caused by the bacterium Bacillus | | | | The more cigarettes one smokes, the greater |
| anthracis. It most commonly occurs in hoofed | | | | the danger for developing lung cancer. |
| mammals such as sheep, cattle, horses, and | | | | Similarly, the more one is exposed to |
| goats. Farm workers,veterinarians, and those | | | | asbestos, the greater the chance for |
| who work tanning hides or processing wool are | | | | developing an asbestos related disease. This |
| at risk of contracting the disease by | | | | is why asbestos poisoning is often called an |
| inhaling spores of the bacterium. In addition | | | | occupational hazard disease, because the |
| to inhaled anthrax, there is also a skin form | | | | people who commonly work with the material |
| of anthrax. | | | | are the most at risk for developing an |
| | | | asbestos related disease. |
| * Gases such as formaldehyde, ammonia, and | | | | |
| chlorine, can be found in jobs where chemical | | | | There are three diseases that are triggered |
| reactions occur and in jobs with high heat | | | | by inhaling asbestos fibers: asbestosis, |
| operations, such as welding and furnace work. | | | | mesothelioma, and lung cancer. Asbestosis is |
| | | | caused when asbestos fibers are inhaled and |
| * Vapors can be given off by solvents, and | | | | become trapped in the lungs. In response, the |
| usually irritate the nose and throat first, | | | | body tries to dissolve the fibers by |
| before they affect the lungs according to | | | | producing an acid. While not destroying the |
| AAFP. | | | | fibers, the acid serves to scar the lung |
| | | | tissue. Eventually the scarring can become so |
| * Paints, lacquers, hair spray, pesticides, | | | | severe that the lungs become unable to |
| cleaning products, acids, and solvents can | | | | function. The time from exposure to the |
| also cause damage to the airways. | | | | manifestation of asbestosis in most patients |
| | | | is between 25 to 40 years. Mesothelioma is a |
| * Latex allergies have become a major problem | | | | cancer of the outside tissue of the lungs. |
| for health care workers, as a result of | | | | |
| increased use of protective gloves. CDC says | | | | This cancer is solely linked to asbestos. The |
| studies show that over one in fifty | | | | time from exposure to manifestation of |
| healthcare workers have developed | | | | mesothelioma is from 15 to 35 years. Cancer |
| latex-related asthma. | | | | of the lungs can also be caused by exposure |
| | | | to asbestos. However, the chances of |
| * If someone is exposed to carcinogens or | | | | developing lung cancer from asbestos are |
| irritants at work, smoking can make things | | | | greatly increased with smoking. The exposure |
| much worse. ALA says smokers who are exposed | | | | to manifestation period for lung cancer from |
| to such carcinogens as asbestos and | | | | asbestos exposure is from 15 to 35 years. |
| radiation, greatly increase their chances of | | | | |
| getting lung cancer and other lung diseases. | | | | Despite many common myths, initial exposure |
| | | | cannot be detected by medical x-rays or |
| Symptoms | | | | physiological symptoms. Asbestos exposure |
| | | | does not cause headaches, fever, or muscle |
| Exposure to any of the above substances can | | | | aches. The symptoms of exposure go unnoticed |
| produce a wide range of symptoms. These can | | | | for at least 15 years. However, at the time |
| range from a runny nose and scratchy throat, | | | | of manifestation, doctors can determine |
| to bronchitis, persistent cough, fever, and | | | | asbestos exposure. |
| problems breathing. AAFP says that if a | | | | |
| worker develops unusual symptoms after | | | | The risk of being exposed to asbestos is |
| switching to a new job, for example, or after | | | | increased by the presence of construction. |
| being at a particular job for awhile, this | | | | Work on ceilings and flooring can cause the |
| could indicate a work-related disorder. | | | | asbestos to become friable. This is why |
| | | | non-friable asbestos is often recommended to |
| In addition, if someone develops asthma for | | | | be left in tact and not removed. Asbestos |
| the first time as an adult, it could be | | | | does not just chip away or decompose, it must |
| related to something at their job. Asthma | | | | be physically disturbed to pose a threat to |
| symptoms include wheezing, a persistent dry | | | | human health. |
| cough or trouble breathing. Emphysema is | | | | |
| another condition that can develop after | | | | If asbestos is required to be removed, either |
| exposure to workplace dangers, including | | | | before or during a construction project, or |
| coal, asbestos or silica dust. Symptoms | | | | due to an accidental disturbance, state laws |
| include cough, fatigue, chest tightness and | | | | require that certain precautions and |
| difficulty breathing. | | | | procedures take place. These regulations aim |
| | | | to ensure that the appropriate steps are |
| If you suspect a work-related respiratory | | | | taken during an abatement procedure, and all |
| condition, it's important to talk with your | | | | health and safety precautions are taken. |