Asbestos – Miracle Mineral or Killer
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Asbestos fibers occur in soil and rocks naturally and can be found in many areas of the world. They are formed using six different minerals some of which are smosite, chrysotile, crocidolite, tremolite, actinolite and anthophyllite. These “miracle fibers” are hard to eliminate because of their resilience to acid, heat and chemicals. Asbests comes in various shapes and sizes but are very soft and pliable.
It is and has been used in a wide range of manufactured goods both in the construction industry: roofing shingles, floor & ceiling tiles, paper products, cement products, in the automotive industry in friction products (automobile clutch, brake, and transmission parts), textiles, packaging, gaskets, and coatings. They were also used extensively in the shipbuilding industry for years.
What if any effect does asbestos have to those that are exposed to it?
The thing that makes asbestos so good for manufacturing is the same thing that makes it so bad for the body; it’s durability and resistance to chemicals & outside forces. When the particles become airborne they are microscopic in size and easily inhaled. Having encroached the human body these fibers become lodged in the mesothelium or lining of the major organs.
The body in reaction to the intrusion begins secreting acids to dissolve the intruder but because of it’s reliance it has little if any affect on the fiber, but after continued secretion does have an affect on the body itself as it begins to scar the tissue surrounding the fiber. Years after the original exposure to asbestos scarring and fluid build up are found withing the lungs causing either mesothelioma and asbestosis.
The symptoms of mesothelioma don’t appear from anywhere from 20-50 years making it very hard to diagnose since it may have been years if not decades since the original exposure to asbestos.
Correct treatments are many times delayed by poor diagnosis, since mesothelioma can easily mirror other diseases such as pheumonia or other lund proglems.
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Tags: asbestos, asbestos fibers, asbestos poisoning, mesothelioma