Asbestos - A Slim and Strong Enemy
by Michael Russell
For centuries, asbestos was used. Thousands of workers were
exposed to the risks of this mineral that has several beneficial
properties, but on the other hand can lead people to death.
First, the relation between asbestos and death of some workers
wasn't made clear. The Greek geographer Strabo and the Roman
naturalist Pliny the Elder noticed something wrong regarding
asbestos workers. Both found a sickness in the lungs of slaves
that worked with asbestos.
Despite the evidence, the diseases related to the asbestos use
were ignored for a long time. Only in the year 1931, the first
laws were created in England in order to create preventative
measures.
The use of asbestos
The Greek people named this mineral asbestos uniting two words
in Greek: a, for non and sbestos, for extinguishable. So,
asbestos means inextinguishable, which can be easily understood
after reading about the effects of this mineral on the lungs of
workers.
Asbestos was largely used due to its various properties. This
mineral is resistant to fire, to some chemical effects and it
also is waterproof. Due to this characteristic of being
resistant to fire, it was used by unreliable merchants that used
to sell crosses - that were supposed to be pieces of the cross
where Jesus Christ was hung - made of asbestos. Since asbestos
may have an appearance of old wood it could be easily sold and
the fire resistance was the perfect excuse to sell it.
During the 1800s, the use of asbestos increased due to the
Industrial Revolution. It started to be used worldwide, without
any regard to working conditions. More than 3000 branches of
industrial production used asbestos in the manufacturing of its
products, which just contributed to the development of a disease
commonly diagnosed in people that were exposed to asbestos.
The health conditions regarding asbestos exposure
For centuries, asbestos was used. And for decades, its effects
were simply ignored. Doctors related some deaths to the exposure
to asbestos, but it took years until the first measures were
taken.
During the Industrial Revolution and the following years,
working conditions were highly despised. By that time, it didn't
matter what conditions people worked under, but how fast and
efficiently they could do their job. This situation only
contributed to the increase in the number of people who had
respiratory problems.
The problem and the risk to the health regarding asbestos lies
in a simple action: inhaling the particles spread by this
mineral. If the particles are not inhaled, it does not represent
a risk. But the truth is that, working with asbestos, it is
almost impossible not to inhale particles.
These particles inhaled get stuck in the lungs' tissues, causing
a type of cancer that is known as mesothelioma or asbestosis.
Mesothelioma is the cancer of the pleural and peritoneal
linings. When it is diagnosed, it is in general too late to do
something: it's often fatal. Besides, mesothelioma has a long
period that it remains in a latent state: it can remain
unnoticed for 15 up to 60 years.
Asbestosis is a condition that compromises the elasticity of the
lung tissue, which makes it difficult for the organs to exchange
gases, resulting in a low level of oxygenation of the blood. It
restricts breathing and can be unnoticed for up to 30 years.
Even with the preventative measures assured by laws, the number
of deaths related to the exposure to asbestos has increased. In
1968, there were 153 deaths caused by mesothelioma but in 2003,
statistics shows 1874 deaths. And it is not a world number: it
was registered in Great Britain.
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