What Are the Health Hazards
of Asbestos?
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If you asked the question "What are the societal impacts of asbestos?" in the 1950's or 60's you would have likely received an answer like: "It's the wonder mineral! With it we can do anything!" The strength, resistance, insulating properties and low cost of asbestos made it the wonder-mineral for construction. Even today, despite extreme controversy and social pressure, chrysotile asbestos is used in a limited fashion in construction. Today over 90% of the world's chrysotile is used to make asbestos-reinforced cement. Adding 10 to 15% asbestos to cement produces a cheap building material that resists stretching, squeezing, acids, heat, electricity and harsh weather. It also requires very little energy to produce. Consequently, this asbestos-containing cement is used extensively in developing countries where financial and energy resources are low. |
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Today a typical response to the question "What are the societal impacts of asbestos?" would be: "It costs us a fortune! It kills! We must ban it!" The exact same properties that make asbestos such a desirable building product, also make asbestos a potential health hazard. |
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The fibrous nature of asbestos allows the material to break into small sharp particles that can become airborne, be inhaled and become embedded in the lining of the lung. |
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The chemical resistance of asbestos means that once a fiber enters the lung, the fiber will remain intact for decades in the lung wall. |
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Health Effects of Asbestos
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The constant irritation of asbestos fibers in the lungs can lead to potentially fatal disease 10 to 40 years after exposure to the asbestos. In addition to lung cancer, the main asbestos-related diseases are: |
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When when asbestos fibers are inhaled into the lung, the body's immune system attempts to destroy them. However, because the material is chemically resistant the fibers remain unaffected. The attempt to destroy the fibers causes scarring and inflammation in the lungs and this inflammation continues for decades. This thickening and scarring prevents oxygen and carbon dioxide from being exchanged efficiently between the blood vessels and the lung. Consequently, breathing ability is impaired. The disease progresses slowly as scarring and inflammation increase around the asbestos fibers. |
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| Mesothelioma is a cancer of the cells that make up the lining around the outside of the lungs and inside of the ribs (pleura), or around the abdominal organs (peritoneum). Most people with malignant mesothelioma have worked on jobs 35-40 years earlier where they inhaled asbestos. The disease is caused by asbestos fibers that, over time, migrated through the lung wall and even into the chest cavity. |
© 2001 Wayne G. Powell
