Annette Charlevois Patient Support Coordinator. Inhaling or swallowing asbestos fibers can cause cancer. Asbestos is a mineral made of microscopic fibers. Once the fibers enter the body, they cannot be broken down or removed. As a result, the fibers can cause irritation and inflammation. Over time, asbestos can cause genetic mutations and cancer. Many asbestos diseases are latent diseases. In other words, it can take years for asbestos cancer symptoms to emerge.
All six types of asbestos cause cancer. Asbestos types are classified as either serpentine or amphibole asbestos. Chrysotile asbestos belongs to the serpentine family. It is also the most common type of asbestos. All other types of asbestos belong to the amphibole family. This group includes amosite, crocidolite, tremolite, actinolite and anthophyllite asbestos.
Some studies suggest exposure to amphibole fibers is more likely to cause asbestos cancer. However, more research is needed. It conducts, coordinates and publishes research regarding worldwide cancer causes and cancer occurrence. Many studies may find a correlation between asbestos and other types of cancers, such as breast cancer, stomach cancer and colon cancer. However, the IARC has only asserted definitive causal relationships between asbestos and the above cancers.
Asbestos exposure can lead to the development of mesothelioma cancer. Mesothelioma is a rare cancer that develops in organ linings. After an individual swallows or inhales asbestos fibers, the fibers can become embedded in their organ linings. Once embedded, the microscopic asbestos fibers can cause inflammation, irritation and mutation.
Mutation of the mesothelial cells can lead to the development of mesothelioma. The development of mesothelioma cancer is most common in the pleura lung linings. However, mesothelioma may also develop in the abdomen, heart or testes. The location of the affected tissues determines mesothelioma type.
Asbestos exposure can also lead to lung cancer. Asbestos lung cancer develops within the lungs after asbestos fibers are inhaled and become lodged in the lung tissue. The fibers then can cause irritation, genetic mutation and the growth of malignant cells.
The development of asbestos-related lung cancer can take years. As a result, asbestos victims may not recognize symptoms for more than a decade after initial exposure. Research has found long-term asbestos exposure increases the likelihood of developing asbestos-related lung cancer. However, there are several other risk factors, such as smoking.
Asbestos exposure can lead to ovarian cancer. Asbestos-related ovarian cancer is caused when asbestos fibers travel through the body to the ovaries. There are two main ways asbestos can reach the ovaries:. The IARC recognized asbestos as a proven cause of ovarian cancer in New studies continue to support this finding. Asbestos exposure can lead to laryngeal cancer cancer of the voice box.
Asbestos-related laryngeal cancer is caused by inhaling asbestos. Fibers must travel through the larynx before reaching the lungs. Asbestos is a group of minerals that occur naturally as bundles of fibers. These fibers are found in soil and rocks in many parts of the world. They are made mainly of silicon and oxygen, but they also contain other elements. There are 2 main types of asbestos:. Asbestos fibers can be useful because they are strong, resistant to heat and to many chemicals, and do not conduct electricity.
As a result, asbestos has been used as an insulating material since ancient times. Since the industrial revolution, asbestos has been used to insulate factories, schools, homes, and ships, and to make automobile brake and clutch parts, roofing shingles, ceiling and floor tiles, cement, textiles, and hundreds of other products.
During the first half of the 20th century, growing evidence showed that breathing in asbestos caused scarring of the lungs. Exposure to asbestos dust in the workplace was not controlled at that time. Beginning in England in the s, steps were taken to protect workers in the asbestos industry by installing ventilation and exhaust systems. However, in the huge shipbuilding effort during World War II, large numbers of workers were exposed to high levels of asbestos. As asbestos-related cancers became better recognized in the second half of the 20th century, measures were taken to reduce exposure, including establishing exposure standards and laws that banned the use of asbestos in construction materials.
There has been a dramatic decrease in importing and using asbestos in the United States since the mids, and alternative insulating materials have been developed. As a result, asbestos exposure has dropped dramatically. Asbestos use has been banned in the European Union since , although the ban did not require removal of asbestos that was already in place. Still, heavy asbestos use continues in some countries.
Many people are exposed to very low levels of naturally occurring asbestos in outdoor air as a result of erosion of asbestos-containing rocks. The risk of this is higher in areas where rocks have higher asbestos content. In some areas, asbestos can be detected in the water supply as well as in the air. It can get into the water through several sources, such as rock or soil erosion, corrosion of asbestos cement pipes, or the breakdown of roofing materials containing asbestos that then enter the sewers after it rains.
However, the people with the heaviest exposure are those who worked in asbestos industries, such as shipbuilding and insulation. Many of these people recall working in thick clouds of asbestos dust, day after day. Asbestos exposure is also a concern in older buildings. If building materials that contain asbestos like older insulation and ceiling and floor tiles begin to decompose over time, asbestos fibers can be found in indoor air and may pose a health threat.
There is no health risk if the asbestos is bonded into intact finished products, such as walls and tiles. As long as the material is not damaged or disturbed for example, by drilling or remodeling , the fibers are not released into the air.
Maintenance workers who sweep up and dispose of the asbestos dust or handle damaged asbestos-containing materials are often exposed to higher levels than other people in these buildings. Removing asbestos from homes and other buildings can also cause some exposure, although modern asbestos abatement workers are trained to use proper protective equipment to minimize exposure.
Although use of asbestos has declined in the United States, people can still be exposed to asbestos in the workplace. In recent years, the US Occupational Health and Safety Administration OSHA has estimated that over a million American employees in construction and general industries face significant asbestos exposure on the job.
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