Health Effects of Asbestos
Asbestos is widely known to be dangerous and to have damaging effects on our health. In this article, we hope to outline exactly how asbestos is dangerous to our health so that the importance of handling it safely is properly understood. Even though it is widely understood that asbestos is to be feared, it is still the leading cause of occupational casualties in Canada. In 2014, the Globe and Mail published an article illuminating the fact that in 2013, and overall since 1996 (well after asbestos was banned), nearly a third of all workplace related deaths were directly related to asbestos exposure. This figure exceeds the casualties related to highway accidents, fires, and chemical exposures combined.
Asbestiosis
The reason asbestos is so dangerous is two-fold:
- It is fibrous in nature, and can break down into incredibly small parts. This allows the substance to travel deep into the body and expose itself to very small, very delicate tissues.
- Due to it’s fibrous nature, it is very rigid and comes to a sharp point. These characteristics allow it to pierce the delicate tissues that it comes into contact with.
It is no surprise then that one of the most prominent forms of asbestos-related disease is the swelling of damaged lung tissue, properly known as Asbestiosis. When lung tissue swells and is replaced by scar tissue, other lung tissue is obstructed from doing it’s job leading to long-term breathing complications. Asbestiosis cannot be reversed, though treatments do exist to help alleviate the symptoms. It is caused by consistent exposure to asbestos fibres and does not present symptoms for up to tens of years after exposure.
Presenting with asbestiosis symptoms also increases the probability that you will eventually develop asbestos-related cancer.
Mesothelioma
As we now know, asbestos causes damage and irritation to the fine lung tissues that it comes into contact with. This irritation can trigger an immune response that is not called off because of the fact that the asbestos fibres are tough, inorganic matter that the immune cells can’t deal with. Instead, the asbestos is sequestered and the inflammation caused by the immune response remains, sometimes long term.
Though the link between chronic inflammation and cancer has been established, the mechanism by which this happens is not yet understood. Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that develops in the thin layer of organ-covering tissues called the mesothelium. The most common mesothelium to develop cancer are the linings of the lungs and chest cavity, though cases have been documented in the heart and testicles as well. Mesothelioma is almost exclusively caused by exposure to asbestos.
Cardiovascular Disease & Strokes
Perhaps the least known of the health risks associated with asbestos, there are various cardiovascular complications caused by exposure to asbestos. This is tied to the previously discussed chronic inflammation brought on by asbestos fibres irritating fine tissues in your body.
Chronic inflammation has long been linked to cardiovascular disease as it plays a critical role in releasing the built-up plaque lining arteries. This released plaque is referred to as an embolus. The embolus floats down the bloodstream until it reaches a blood vessel that is too narrow for the embolus to pass through at which point the embolus lodges in the entrance to the smaller vessel, causing an obstruction of blood flow called an embolism. The brain, unfortunately, houses many such small blood vessels and is a common location for embolisms. When blood flow is cut off to a part of the brain, as in the case of an embolism, it is called an ischemic stroke. The seriousness of strokes are well understood by the general population, but it is not commonly understood that asbestos exposure can indirectly cause them.
What can be done?
Unfortunately since asbestos affecting your body is so microscopically small, there is no surgical intervention possible. Once the fibres have lodged themselves inside your body, they are more or less there to stay. The only effective way to deal with the occupational health crises of asbestos is to prevent the related diseases by preventing exposure to the asbestos fibres in the first place. While various governments have, over time, enacted some safeguards and bans, progress has come too slowly and without enough force to rid us of this issue. It is up to us as individuals then to inform ourselves and others of how to suspect and identify potential sources of asbestos hazards, and how to avoid exposure to them. Help us spread the awareness and information needed to save the lives of workers everywhere by passing this message along.
