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Mesothelioma cancer involves mesothelial tissues of body organs usually lungs or abdominal. Mesothelioma is often caused by exposure to asbestos. Asbestos is a material known as an agent of sickness and death. It is the name of a group of minerals that occur naturally as masses of strong, flexible fibers that can be separated into thin threads and woven.
An Industrial worker may be exposed to different types of hazards depending on his occupation. Chemical agents, Physical agents, Biological agents etc may cause hazards. These external factors affect each and every system in our body. Among them, respiratory system needs emphasis because of easy entry of chemical and other agents into the respiratory tract. Pneumoconiosis refers to heterogeneous pulmonary diseases caused by inhalation of dusts. Pneumoconiosis is classified in terms of the materials that cause them.
1. Asbestosis: Due to inhalation of asbestos fibers.
2. Silicosis: Due to inhalation of crystalline silica.
3. Anthracosis: Due to inhalation of coal dust.
4. Byssinosis: Due to inhalation of cotton fiber.
5. Bagassosis: Due to inhalation of sugarcane dust.
6. Farmers lung: Due to inhalation of mouldy hay or grain dust.
It is shocking that hundreds of thousands of people are dying of asbestos-related diseases all over the world but most people don't know about it. Asbestos can produce irreversible structural and functional damage to the different vital organs leading to death.
Medical evidence has shown that asbestos is a slow but steady killer. It has been widely used in many industrial products, including cement, brake linings, roof shingles, flooring products, textiles, and insulation that causes Mesothelioma or Asbestos Cancer. This disease is often terminal, cannot be stopped once the asbestos particles are ingested.
Asbestos materials become dangerous when a product's integrity is compromised due to external agents like heat, water, weathering and aging and fibers are released in to the environment. The fibers continue to break in to smaller and smaller particles. The asbestos fibers are having 20 to 500 micron length and 0.5 to 50 micron diameter. The small size and lightweight of the fiber allows them to remain airborne for an extended period after initial release. The risk of asbestos-related disease increases with heavier exposure to asbestos and longer exposure time.
Asbestos has been mined and used commercially since the late 1800s and greatly increased during Second World War. Since the early 1940s, millions of American workers have been exposed to asbestos dust particles. Many asbestos diseases remain dormant for years and the symptoms will appear only when they reach advanced stages. By that time there will be irreversible damage to the organs, which can't be restored with the help of treatments available. The Increased risk of developing mesothelioma is found among shipyard workers, people who work in asbestos mines and mills, factories of asbestos products, workers in the heating and construction industries. Hundreds of American companies have already filed for bankruptcy due to asbestos lawsuits.
There are some reports that family members and others living with asbestos workers have an increased risk of developing mesothelioma or other asbestos-related diseases. This risk may be the result of exposure to asbestos dust workers' brought home on their clothing or hair.
Prevention of Mesothelioma Cancer and other asbestos diseases
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1) Those who were exposed to asbestos dust should do regular health checkups.
2) Certain limits should be kept in the industries where asbestos is used as a raw material. Air monitoring, dust testing and microscopic analysis are helpful for identification of asbestos pollution.
3) Once identified the asbestos material should be removed completely. It should be made harmless by the process called enclosure and encapsulation. These two methods prevent the release of fibers into air.
4) Regular maintenance of all asbestos materials is necessary.
5) Substitution of other insulants like glass fiber, mineral woof, calcium silicate and plastic foams etc.
6) Biological Monitoring.
7) Smoking should be avoided by the workers
8) Use of specially made masks to reduce the entry of fibers in to respiratory tract.
9) Health education.
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