We have all heard of asbestos and the dangers associated with it; however, there is still confusion surrounding mesothelioma and understanding the health hazards that cause this disease. In order to better understand, you must first learn about the main culprit asbestos. Many people did not realize that asbestos is made up of naturally occurring silicate minerals found in nature; it is not a synthetic man made material. The material was very popular and used in the building and manufacturing. The suspicions and the health hazards associated were unbeknownst to those working and dealing with it.
Asbestos is categorized into two different classes. The two classes are serpentine and amphibole. The serpentine class consists of chrysotile and the amphibole class consists of crocidolite, tremolite, amosite, anthophyllite and actinolite. There are distinctions between the chemical compositions of each of the classes making each one the contributor of different health issues.
Builders and manufactures began extensive use of the silicate minerals in both consumable and non-consumable products. Chrysotile falls into the serpentine class while the other five minerals fall under the amphibole class. The highly desirable minerals began leaving its mark with the multiple health issues that began arising in workers and people being exposed. This in turn bought about compensation claims and later on started the mesothelioma claims and lawsuits.
The air we breathe and some of the drinkable water we consume contain endoscopic forms of the fiberous minerals since they occur naturally in the environment. Everyone has traces in their bodies due to the air and water. The effects of the natural geologic forms of asbestos exposure of the general population are not yet understood; therefore limiting the knowledge of all the health hazards.
Some of the health hazards that are widely known to be caused by extended exposure during construction and manufacturing of these silicate minerals are; mesothelioma, which is mainly caused by the amphibole class; malignant lung cancer, also caused by the amphibole class and pneumoconiosis or more commonly known as asbestosis. It has been documented that long exposures to high concentrations is generally the main culprit of these health problems; however, these are not the sole problems that can occur.
In the first century there was evidence of the possible health concerns that the minerals were capable of; however it was not until 1898 that there was reported evidence of the real health concerns of asbestos. There was even more evidence due to deaths of factory workers caused by pneumoconiosis, with the main contributing factor being asbestos dust.
During the late nineteen hundreds, an investigation was performed on the occupational hazards of working with this material. People were tested and a majority of them was found to be suffering from pulmonary fibrosis which was caused from exposure and inhalation of the fibrous crystals. The investigation concluded that asbestos dust was the most dangerous dust and was a health hazard to all those exposed. More and more mesothelioma claims occurred and a mass of corporate settlements began taking place.
Many people have taken notice of the hazards associated with the natural occurring silicate minerals. The EPA and OSHA have set rules and regulations regarding the use and amounts of asbestos that are acceptable. This was done in order to protect the people and limit the amount of settlements. There are some countries that have restricted all uses of the minerals due to the high health risk. Now that there is acceptable knowledge and evidence of the health issues associated with exposure, extra precautions can be taken.
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