Asbestos & Mesthelioma
Wondering About Asbestos And It's Effects On You?
Asbestos: Great for Fireproofing; Not so Great for Lungs
The Effects of Asbestos on the Human Body
Asbestos is a fibrous, silicate mineral known for its durability, heat-resistance, and chemical inertness and has been mined and used commercially in North America since the late 1800’s. Since then it has been used in a wide variety of applications. It has been used it for insulation, fireproofing, gardening, strengthening cements and plastics, and for sound absorption while the automotive industry uses asbestos in gaskets, brake linings, and other friction points such as clutch pads. But while asbestos has been useful in a wide range of applications, its use is not without significant risk.
The risks that are associated with asbestos come from the fact that individual asbestos fibers are so extremely small that they are invisible to the human eye and as a result they are easily inhaled or swallowed once they have become airborne. Once inhaled, asbestos particles imbed themselves in the pulmonary tissue causing lung damage and even a cancer known as Mesothelioma. Likewise, it is believed that exposure to asbestos increases the risk of lung cancer for smokers. Because of the risk of inhalation, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has classified asbestos as a Group A human carcinogen.
Mesthelioma is most common in white males who are over fifty years old and have worked as asbestos miners, shipbuilders, railroad workers, automotive construction or repair, workers in the heating or construction industries, and certain types of factory work such as insulation manufacturing. It should be noted, however, that there is reason to believe that the family members of workers that are heavily exposed to asbestos may be at higher risk as well due to fibers that travel on the workers clothes and hair if something is not done to remove the fibers.
Mesthelioma develops when asbestos fibers are swallowed or inhaled and become lodged in the chest or abdomen areas of the body, causing scar tissue to develop. It usually takes between twenty and forty years after initial exposure to become cancerous although adverse health effects such as a diseases known as Asbestosis can display itself much earlier.
The two common types of Mesothelioma are: Pleural and Peritoneal Mesothelioma. Pleural Mesothelioma is cancer of the Pleura, a sac that lines the lungs. When inhaled, asbestos fibers are absorbed into the pleura causing lesions and scarring. Eventually, the cancer known as Mesothelioma forms as a result of the damage caused by the asbestos fibers. Common symptoms of Pleural Mesothelioma include coughing, chest pain, and shortness of breath, but patients have been reported to have experienced weight loss, lower back pain, weakness, and difficulty swallowing.
Peritoneal Mesothelioma is cancer in the abdomen caused by asbestos fibers that imbed themselves in the peritoneal membrane causing lesions and scaring in much the same way as is found in the pleural sac. Scientists believe that asbestos fibers reach the peritoneal membrane either by being swallowed or migrating from the pleura. Common symptoms of Peritoneal Mesothelioma include nausea and weight loss, along with pain and swelling in the abdomen as a result of a buildup of fluid or scar tissue in the abdomen. Other reported symptoms include difficulties with bowel movements, anemia, and swelling in the patient’s lower extremities.
Kurt Shinn
Here's some news about asbestos and its effects on people and society:
Promina hit by asbestos claims jump (Sydney Morning Herald)
Promina has tucked away an extra $76 million to guard against higher asbestos claims over the next 25 years after claims in the second half of 2004 were twice the number expected.
Promina Group Shares Slide on Higher Asbestos Claims (Update4) (Bloomberg.com)
Feb. 22 (Bloomberg) -- Shares in Promina Group Ltd., Australia's second-biggest general insurer, had a record slump after higher-than-expected asbestos-related claims made its policies less profitable.
Promina Group Shares Decline on Asbestos Claims (Update1) (Bloomberg.com)
Feb. 22 (Bloomberg) -- Shares in Promina Group Ltd., Australia's second-biggest general insurer, had a record slump after the company's earnings disappointed some investors because of higher provisions for asbestos-related claims.
Shares in Australia's Promina Fall After Asbestos News (Asia Pulse via Yahoo! Asia News)
SYDNEY, Feb 22 Asia Pulse - Shares in Promina Group Ltd (ASX:PMN) fell today after the insurer revealed it had a higher exposure to asbestos claims than previously thought.
Mesothelioma deaths to peak by 2015, UK (Medical News Today)
Deaths from mesothelioma, an asbestos-related lung cancer, will peak within ten years in the UK and then fall to a much lower level, according to new figures published in this week's British Journal of Cancer*.
Promina's asbestos dust-up (The Age)
Investor jitters about asbestosis claims yesterday caused shares in Promina Group to slide despite it announcing a 54 per cent jump in full-year net profit to $458 million.
Mesothelioma to peak by 2015 (HealthandAge)
Deaths from mesothelioma are still rising in Britain but are to peak sooner than previously expected. Mesothelioma is a devastating form of lung cancer linked to asbestos exposure. In Britain, use of asbestos began to be eliminated from 1980 and it's thought exposures are now negligible.
Promina 2nd-Half Profit Rose 56% on Investment Income (Update2) (Bloomberg.com)
Feb. 22 (Bloomberg) -- Promina Group Ltd.'s second-half profit rose 56 percent after stock market gains boosted investment income. Shares in Australia's No. 2 car and home insurer had their biggest drop in more than a year as it made less money on each policy sold.
News In Brief (Leeds Today)
EXCLUSIVE: United fans launch Elland Road bid by Peter Lazenby LEEDS United supporters are plann... by Grant Woodward A LEEDS lorry driver who was thrown into a French jail after being unwittingly ...
Web words become a lucrative market (Cape Cod Times)
Companies swarming to have their names and ads appear next to Internet search results have created a burgeoning marketplace for search words, phrases and brand names.
Powered by RSS Equalizer
Asbestos: Great for Fireproofing; Not so Great for Lungs
The Effects of Asbestos on the Human Body
Asbestos is a fibrous, silicate mineral known for its durability, heat-resistance, and chemical inertness and has been mined and used commercially in North America since the late 1800’s. Since then it has been used in a wide variety of applications. It has been used it for insulation, fireproofing, gardening, strengthening cements and plastics, and for sound absorption while the automotive industry uses asbestos in gaskets, brake linings, and other friction points such as clutch pads. But while asbestos has been useful in a wide range of applications, its use is not without significant risk.
The risks that are associated with asbestos come from the fact that individual asbestos fibers are so extremely small that they are invisible to the human eye and as a result they are easily inhaled or swallowed once they have become airborne. Once inhaled, asbestos particles imbed themselves in the pulmonary tissue causing lung damage and even a cancer known as Mesothelioma. Likewise, it is believed that exposure to asbestos increases the risk of lung cancer for smokers. Because of the risk of inhalation, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has classified asbestos as a Group A human carcinogen.
Mesthelioma is most common in white males who are over fifty years old and have worked as asbestos miners, shipbuilders, railroad workers, automotive construction or repair, workers in the heating or construction industries, and certain types of factory work such as insulation manufacturing. It should be noted, however, that there is reason to believe that the family members of workers that are heavily exposed to asbestos may be at higher risk as well due to fibers that travel on the workers clothes and hair if something is not done to remove the fibers.
Mesthelioma develops when asbestos fibers are swallowed or inhaled and become lodged in the chest or abdomen areas of the body, causing scar tissue to develop. It usually takes between twenty and forty years after initial exposure to become cancerous although adverse health effects such as a diseases known as Asbestosis can display itself much earlier.
The two common types of Mesothelioma are: Pleural and Peritoneal Mesothelioma. Pleural Mesothelioma is cancer of the Pleura, a sac that lines the lungs. When inhaled, asbestos fibers are absorbed into the pleura causing lesions and scarring. Eventually, the cancer known as Mesothelioma forms as a result of the damage caused by the asbestos fibers. Common symptoms of Pleural Mesothelioma include coughing, chest pain, and shortness of breath, but patients have been reported to have experienced weight loss, lower back pain, weakness, and difficulty swallowing.
Peritoneal Mesothelioma is cancer in the abdomen caused by asbestos fibers that imbed themselves in the peritoneal membrane causing lesions and scaring in much the same way as is found in the pleural sac. Scientists believe that asbestos fibers reach the peritoneal membrane either by being swallowed or migrating from the pleura. Common symptoms of Peritoneal Mesothelioma include nausea and weight loss, along with pain and swelling in the abdomen as a result of a buildup of fluid or scar tissue in the abdomen. Other reported symptoms include difficulties with bowel movements, anemia, and swelling in the patient’s lower extremities.
Kurt Shinn
Here's some news about asbestos and its effects on people and society:
Promina hit by asbestos claims jump (Sydney Morning Herald)
Promina has tucked away an extra $76 million to guard against higher asbestos claims over the next 25 years after claims in the second half of 2004 were twice the number expected.
Promina Group Shares Slide on Higher Asbestos Claims (Update4) (Bloomberg.com)
Feb. 22 (Bloomberg) -- Shares in Promina Group Ltd., Australia's second-biggest general insurer, had a record slump after higher-than-expected asbestos-related claims made its policies less profitable.
Promina Group Shares Decline on Asbestos Claims (Update1) (Bloomberg.com)
Feb. 22 (Bloomberg) -- Shares in Promina Group Ltd., Australia's second-biggest general insurer, had a record slump after the company's earnings disappointed some investors because of higher provisions for asbestos-related claims.
Shares in Australia's Promina Fall After Asbestos News (Asia Pulse via Yahoo! Asia News)
SYDNEY, Feb 22 Asia Pulse - Shares in Promina Group Ltd (ASX:PMN) fell today after the insurer revealed it had a higher exposure to asbestos claims than previously thought.
Mesothelioma deaths to peak by 2015, UK (Medical News Today)
Deaths from mesothelioma, an asbestos-related lung cancer, will peak within ten years in the UK and then fall to a much lower level, according to new figures published in this week's British Journal of Cancer*.
Promina's asbestos dust-up (The Age)
Investor jitters about asbestosis claims yesterday caused shares in Promina Group to slide despite it announcing a 54 per cent jump in full-year net profit to $458 million.
Mesothelioma to peak by 2015 (HealthandAge)
Deaths from mesothelioma are still rising in Britain but are to peak sooner than previously expected. Mesothelioma is a devastating form of lung cancer linked to asbestos exposure. In Britain, use of asbestos began to be eliminated from 1980 and it's thought exposures are now negligible.
Promina 2nd-Half Profit Rose 56% on Investment Income (Update2) (Bloomberg.com)
Feb. 22 (Bloomberg) -- Promina Group Ltd.'s second-half profit rose 56 percent after stock market gains boosted investment income. Shares in Australia's No. 2 car and home insurer had their biggest drop in more than a year as it made less money on each policy sold.
News In Brief (Leeds Today)
EXCLUSIVE: United fans launch Elland Road bid by Peter Lazenby LEEDS United supporters are plann... by Grant Woodward A LEEDS lorry driver who was thrown into a French jail after being unwittingly ...
Web words become a lucrative market (Cape Cod Times)
Companies swarming to have their names and ads appear next to Internet search results have created a burgeoning marketplace for search words, phrases and brand names.
Powered by RSS Equalizer
posted by Duane, the "headless piano teacher" at 11:58 AM
1 comments
