It may take 10 to 40 years or more for symptoms of an asbestos-related condition to appear . Figure A shows the location of the lungs, airways, pleura and diaphragm asbestos management company in the body. Figure B shows the lungs with asbestos-related diseases, including pleural plaque, lung cancer, asbestosis, diaphragm plaque and mesothelioma.
These could be compensation programs for state workers, the Federal Employee Compensation Program and the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Program. Eligible Veterans can receive medical care from a Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center for Asbestos-Related Diseases. If you may be exposed to asbestos at work, such as renovation of old buildings, you must use appropriate protective equipment, working methods and safety procedures to prevent asbestos.
This risk is believed to result from exposure to asbestos fibers brought home in workers’ shoes, clothing, skin and hair. To reduce these exposures, federal law regulates workplace practices to limit the possibility of asbestos being brought home in this way. Some workers may need to shower and change clothes before leaving work, store their street clothes in a separate area of the workplace, or wash their work clothes separately from other clothes at home . People who breathe asbestos fibers are at risk of various serious diseases. These diseases include lung cancer, digestive cancer, mesothelioma and asbestosis .
When ordinary asbestos products in houses begin to deteriorate or cut, sand, drill or somehow change, microscopic fibers enter the air. People who get sick from asbestos are generally the ones who are regularly exposed to it, usually in jobs where they work directly with the material or through substantial contact with the environment. Lung cancer is a malignant tumor that penetrates and blocks the air passages of the lung.
The main symptoms of asbestosis are shortness of breath and chronic cough. If you have asbestosis, you are at increased risk of developing lung cancer, especially if you smoke or have a history of smoking. Rarely, malignant mesothelioma, tissue cancer around the lung, can occur many years after exposure to asbestos.
Libby Montana children had significant exposure to LAA during outdoor activities and reported playing in “manytime” in vermiculated waste piles . He described a significant increase in mesothelioma in Australian do-it-yourself renovators, presumably related to ACM exposure in housing reconstruction. Smokers have additional vulnerability to lung cancer because of the multiplicative effects of smoking and asbestos. Minor repairs are not recommended themselves, because improper treatment of asbestos materials can pose a hazard where it did not exist. However, if you choose to make minor repairs, you should have as much information as possible about asbestos management before doing anything. Contact your state or local health department or regional EPA office for information on asbestos training programs in your area.