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Chapter 3 Health Effects

Asbestos NESHAP Inspection and Safety Procedures Course. Chapter 3 Health Effects. Version 2012.1. Asbestos Health Effects Fact 1. Asbestos is a known carcinogen – can cause cancer No known “safe” level of asbestos exposure There is no certainty that a single exposure will cause sickness.

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Chapter 3 Health Effects

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  1. Asbestos NESHAP Inspection and Safety Procedures Course Chapter 3 Health Effects Version 2012.1

  2. Asbestos Health Effects Fact 1 • Asbestos is a known carcinogen – can cause cancer • No known “safe” level of asbestos exposure • There is no certainty that a single exposure will cause sickness

  3. Asbestos Health Effects Fact 2 • Asbestos fibers usually enter your body while airborne – breathed through mouth and nose • Can also be swallowed • To be released into the air, ACM and related dust and debris must be disturbed • Asbestos fibers do not enter via your eyes or through skin cuts

  4. Asbestos Health Effects Fact 3 • Unlike some chemicals, there are NO immediate health effects from immediate or recent asbestos exposure • Most asbestos diseases will take years to develop, if at all • Many who contract asbestos disease had significant longer term (chronic) exposures at some point in their life • In rare cases, cancer has occurred with limited exposure - mesothelioma

  5. Paths of Entry • How does a contaminant enter our bodies? • Inhalation • Primary route of entry for asbestos • Ingestion • Secondary route of entry for asbestos • Absorption • Injection

  6. Respiratory System • When you breathe, the air: • enters the body through the nose or the mouth • travels down the throat through thelarynx(voice box) andtrachea(windpipe) • goes into the lungs through tubes called main-stembronchi • One main-stem bronchus leads to the right lung and one to the left lung

  7. Respiratory System • In the lungs … • the main-stem bronchi divide intosmaller bronchi • smaller bronchi divide into even smaller tubes calledbronchioles • bronchioles end in tiny air sacs calledalveoli

  8. Mesothelium • A protective tissue, around the lungs and in the gut area • Around the lungs, it is called the pleura • Around the gut area, it is called the peritoneum • Asbestos can effect the mesothelium in both areas

  9. Body Defenses Cilia White Blood Cells (Macrophage) • Nose Hair • Mucous

  10. Asbestos Health Effects • There are three major asbestos-related diseases • Asbestosis • Lung cancer • Mesothelioma • Non-life threatening • Pleural plaques and thickening • Pleural effusion • Reported increased cancer risks • Colon, pancreas and other organs

  11. Asbestosis • Scarring of lung tissue • Restrictive lung disease • Reduces lung capacity • Dose response relationship • Latency period is 15-30 years

  12. Medical Analyses Doctors trained to determine asbestos disease on x-rays are called “B” readers Asbestosis

  13. Lung Cancer • Abnormal growth of cells in the lung • Dose response relationship • Latency period is 20-30 years • Increased risk with smoking is 50-90 times

  14. Smoking and Asbestos Synergistic Effect

  15. Cancer of the chest cavity lining (pleura) or in the lining of the abdominal cavity No dose response relationship Latency period 30-40 years Rarest of the diseases CDC estimates ~2,500 cases per year - less than 0.0008% of the U.S. population per year Mesothelioma

  16. Questions?

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