Asbestos Poisoning

Asbestos poisoning can result in a relatively rare cancer called mesothelioma. This disease can be caused by either direct or indirect exposure to asbestos, and compensation claims can be considerable sometimes exceeding tens of millions of dollars.

Blue asbestos is found to be more likely to cause Mesothelioma than white asbestos due to the long thin fibers in blue asbestos. However smaller particles of asbestos might be more dangerous than larger ones due to the fact that smaller particles can remain suspended in the air for longer periods.

Asbestos can also cause other diseases as well as Mesothelioma, including cancers of the lungs and kidneys, as well as other lung diseases. Asbestos has been recognized as a health risk since about 1900, but asbestos and Mesothelioma has only been officially linked since 1960. Those living near natural occurrences of asbestos and other similar naturally occurring minerals are found to have an increased risk of Mesothelioma.

Some people only briefly exposed to small amounts of asbestos develop Mesothelioma, while others exposed to large amounts of asbestos over long periods, do not. One study found incidence of Mesothelioma to be over 300 times as great in workers with asbestos insulation, compared to the general population.

Asbestos can cause the DNA of cells to change, or even increase the likelihood that foreign DNA will get inside a cell. Asbestos might also decrease the effectiveness of the immune system.

Mesothelioma due to asbestos poisoning is a rare. The highest incidences of Mesothelioma are in Britain, Australia and Belgium, but even in these countries (which have around twice the incidence compared to the USA, where about 2,000 new cases are diagnosed each year), incidents is still a thirtieth of that of lung cancer. These figures might not be accurate, because diseases such as Mesothelioma are sometimes misdiagnosed.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Posted in: Asbestos,Poisoning