Asbestos-related diseases

Asbestos-related diseases refer to a group of illnesses that are caused by exposure to asbestos fibers, including asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma. These diseases are most commonly found in individuals who have worked in industries where asbestos was used, and are characterized by damage to the lungs and other organs due to the inhalation of asbestos fibers. The risk of developing asbestos-related diseases is highest in areas where asbestos is still being produced or used, and can be exacerbated by activities that disturb asbestos fibers and cause them to become airborne.From: Environmental Consulting Fundamentals [2019], What will go wrong has gone wrong: asbestos exposure risk among construction workers in Nigeria [2018], Asbestos [2019], Releasability of asbestos fibers from weathered roof cement [2018]

Asbestos Identification and Abatement

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Published in Benjamin Alter, Environmental Consulting Fundamentals, 2019

Benjamin Alter

There are three known asbestos-related diseases: asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma. Asbestosis is a scarring (fibrosis) of the lung that impairs the elasticity of the lung tissue and restricts breathing. Asbestosis has a latency period of 10 to 30 years and generally is associated with a long, heavy exposure to airborne asbestos fibers.Lung cancer is a malignant tumor of the bronchi covering. Although there are many causes of lung cancer, there is a clear increase in risk among people who worked with asbestos. There is no threshold or level of exposure below which the risk of lung cancer is not increased. The typical latency period for lung cancer resulting from asbestos exposure is 20 to 30 years.Mesothelioma is a cancer of the mesothelium—the lining of the chest or the lining of the abdominal wall. It is the only known type of cancer directly attributed to asbestos exposure. By the time it is diagnosed, it is almost always fatal. There is no exposure threshold for mesothelioma, and the disease may not manifest itself until up to 40 years after the time of exposure to asbestos.

Releasability of asbestos fibers from weathered roof cement

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Journal Information

Published in Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene, 2018

Andrew F. Oberta, Lee Poye, Steven P. Compton

In April 2009, the Acting Surgeon General of the United States stated that “Activity that disturbs asbestos, causing these small fibers to float in air, increases the chances of inhalation and the contraction of asbestos-related diseases. Disturbance is what leads to exposure.”[21]

Asbestos-related diseases

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Asbestos Identification and Abatement

Releasability of asbestos fibers from weathered roof cement