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Health and safety
Published in Carrie de Silva, Jennifer Charlson, Jill Dickinson, Stephen Hardy, Emma Pierce-Jenkins, Mark Simcock, Galbraith’s Construction and Land Management Law for Students, 2020
The duty under the 2006 Regulations requires those in control of premises to take reasonable steps to determine the location and condition of materials containing asbestos and to keep up-to-date records of that information. They should presume materials contain asbestos unless strong evidence indicates the contrary and should assess the likelihood of anyone being exposed to asbestos fibres. A plan to manage these risks should be prepared. These duties fall on all those with responsibility for maintenance and/or repair of non-domestic premises. This could apparently include landlords, tenants or a managing agent. Where employers or the self-employed are working with asbestos or doing work that may disturb asbestos, they should take steps to prevent exposure to asbestos fibres or ensure that exposure is kept as low as reasonably practicable. These steps should not rely on the use of respiratory protective equipment but should prevent the spread of fibres.
Toxicology
Published in W. David Yates, Safety Professional’s Reference and Study Guide, 2020
Asbestosis is a respiratory disease caused by the inhalation of asbestos fibers. The fibers, when inhaled, reach the alveoli, where they create a “scarring” of the lung tissue. As you recall in the section “Inhalation” earlier, gas exchanges between the respiratory and circulatory system are made in the alveoli. The alveoli become scarred and prohibit the normal exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide. The severity of the disease depends entirely on how long the person was exposed to asbestos and in what concentrations. There is a strong correlation between asbestos exposure and smoking to the development of lung cancer. There are no known cures for asbestosis. However, stopping the exposure to asbestos may slow or stop the progression. The latency period for asbestosis is 10–20 years. The latency period for asbestos-related cancer is 20–30 years. Mesothelioma is an asbestos-related cancer of the lining of the lung (pleura) or the lining of the abdominal cavity (peritoneum). Mesothelioma is a very rare form of cancer. Mesothelioma is incurable, but several treatments are available, including surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation.
Toxicity and Toxins
Published in Gary S. Moore, Kathleen A. Bell, Living with the Earth, 2018
Gary S. Moore, Kathleen A. Bell
Two types of disease commonly seen in those exposed to asbestos are asbestosis and mesothelioma. Asbestosis is a slowly developing disease normally occurring over 20–30 years, resulting in increasing breathlessness on exertion and the development of a productive cough. Decreased respiration leads to a barrel chest, bluish discoloration of the skin, and a restricted chest expansion.74 The lungs are typically scarred, with thickening of the lining of the lungs, which is replaced by calcium deposits. Mesothelioma is a rare malignant tumor involving the pleura or the abdominal wall and abdominal organs, caused only by exposure to asbestos. The disease is a diffuse cancerous tumor that spreads rapidly, is usually fatal, and results in death within 1–2 years after diagnosis.74 Cancer can also develop in the digestive tract as a result of ingesting asbestos in food, in beverages, or swallowing the fibers in contaminated saliva.
Reducing the risk of particulate matter containing asbestos using a high-efficiency, low-differential pressure system
Published in Aerosol Science and Technology, 2018
Sung Ho Hwang, Jaehoon Roh, Chanjung Park, Jongcheol Kim, Byong Hyoek Lee, Wha Me Park
Asbestos are naturally occurring fibrous silicate minerals that include chrysotile (serpentine asbestos), actinolite, crocidolite, amosite, anthophyllite, and tremolite (amphibole asbestos). Asbestos used to be widely used in constructions for their various desirable physical properties, including low thermal conductivity, high electrical resistance, resistance to fire, chemicals, and microorganisms, and high sound absorption. However, asbestos cause severe health problems (Wagner et al. 1960; Hillerdal 1999). Although amosite and crocidolite are the most hazardous types of asbestos, all six types have been shown to be carcinogenic (Berman and Crump 2003). Mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer that develops from mesothelial cells, has been observed in people exposed to asbestos. Moreover, asbestosis, an inflammatory medical condition affecting parenchymal tissues of the lungs, is associated with asbestos inhalation.
Characterising nuclear decommissioning projects: an investigation of the project characteristics that affect the project performance
Published in Construction Management and Economics, 2020
Diletta Colette Invernizzi, Giorgio Locatelli, Naomi J. Brookes
Moreover, not only unknowns and uncertainties are related to nuclear material but also, for example, to asbestos (which was explicitly mentioned by some interviewees as an issue for NDPs). Asbestos is the name of a family of naturally occurring minerals and becomes a concern when fibres are present in the air, because people can inhale them, and this can cause asbestosis, lung cancer, mesothelioma and other cancers (IAEA 2006b, p. 38–40). One interviewee explained: “most instances that result into additional scope when we come in…we may find asbestos that we haven’t foreseen being in an area of the site!”.