For as much as some industrial groups would like to argue the contrary, it has been proven time and time again that asbestos causes cancer. This highly toxic mineral fiber was used throughout the 19th and 20th centuries in a variety of industries, but was banned in the United States and most first world nations in the 1980’s due to its hazardous effect on human health.
Once again Washington, D.C. has weighed in with the 12th edition of the congressionally mandated study of cancer-causing substances, known as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Report on Carcinogens, which reiterates that “asbestos and all commercial forms of asbestos are known to be human carcinogens based on sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity from studies in humans.”
Asbestos has been proven to cause a slew of fatal respiratory diseases, including asbestosis and lung cancer. Plus it is the only known cause of mesothelioma, a rare and terminal cancer of the protective lining of the lungs, heart, chest and abdomen.
Among the people most susceptible to asbestos exposure and of subsequently contracting asbestos cancer are workers in the construction, shipbuilding and breaking, building demolition and automotive brake repair industries. These same workers can also cause the second-hand exposure of their family member by carrying asbestos fibers home on their clothes and bodies. Veteran mesothelioma is also quite common, as the U.S. military used asbestos heavily from the 1940s until the 1970s.
Malignant mesothelioma takes an average of 40 years to develop, and symptoms usually don’t appear until the cancer has reached stage three or four. Symptoms include persistent cough, shortness of breath, problems swallowing, fatigue, weight loss, profuse sweating and pain in the chest, abdomen or when breathing.
This entry was posted on Thursday, July 21st, 2011 at 9:37 am and is filed under News.
No comments:
Post a Comment