Post on 16-Dec-2015
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Chapter 3Health Effects
Version 2012.1
Asbestos NESHAP Inspection and Safety Procedures Course
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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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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
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Asbestos Health Effects Fact 3
Unlike some chemicals, there are NO immediate health effects from immediate or recent asbestos exposureMost asbestos diseases will take years to develop, if at allMany who contract asbestos disease had significant longer term (chronic) exposures at some point in their lifeIn rare cases, cancer has occurred with limited exposure - mesothelioma
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Paths of Entry
How does a contaminant enter our bodies? Inhalation
Primary route of entry for asbestos
IngestionSecondary route of entry for asbestos
Absorption Injection
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Respiratory SystemWhen you breathe, the air: enters the body through the
nose or the mouth travels down the throat through
the larynx (voice box) and trachea (windpipe)
goes into the lungs through tubes called main-stem bronchi
One main-stem bronchus leads to the right lung and one to the left lung
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Respiratory System
In the lungs … the main-stem bronchi
divide into smaller bronchi
smaller bronchi divide into even smaller tubes called bronchioles
bronchioles end in tiny air sacs called alveoli
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Mesothelium
A protective tissue, around the lungs and in the gut areaAround the lungs, it is called the pleuraAround the gut area, it is called the peritoneumAsbestos can effect the mesothelium in both areas
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Body Defenses
Nose Hair
Mucous
Cilia
White Blood Cells (Macrophage)
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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
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Asbestosis
Scarring of lung tissue
Restrictive lung disease
Reduces lung capacity
Dose response relationship
Latency period is 15-30 years
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Medical Analyses
Asbestosis
Doctors trained to determine asbestos disease on x-rays are called “B” readers
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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
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Smoking and Asbestos
0102030405060708090
NoSmoking,No ACM
ACM, NoSmoking
Smoking,No ACM
Smoking,ACM
Person
Synergistic Effect
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MesotheliomaCancer 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
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Questions?