Asbestos Education

Asbestos: An Environmental Hazard
By Michael Russell

Asbestos has been used extensively as an insulating material in building construction for many years. Only until recently were newer materials introduced in the market such as fiberglass in place of asbestos.

Diseases may result when large amounts of fine asbestos fibers become accumulated in the lungs. This fatal disease is more commonly known as asbestosis. The disease is often found in workers engaged in the mining or processing of asbestos. Various trades involved with asbestos include pipefitting, shipbuilding and the construction industry. In addition to its use in insulation, it is also used in fire smothering blankets and safety clothing, in gas masks, as plastic filler material and in cement and floor tiles. Today, demolition workers and home renovators working on older buildings put themselves at high risk from the toxicity of this substance.

One of the most fatal toxicities of asbestos is its effect on breathing and the pathogenesis of lung cancer. The lungs are the primary targets of asbestos toxicity. Breathing may become progressively more difficult and laborious and this may ultimately lead to lung cancer. Initially, the individual may only experience a chronic, dry cough. As the disease progresses, symptoms may vary from shortness of breath and decreased exercise tolerance to chest pains. These symptoms are not exclusive to asbestosis, but a history of exposure will help the physician make the right and acute diagnosis of this disease.