Asbestos and Lung Cancer

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Asbestos and Lung Cancer

What is asbestos?

Asbestos is a name given to six minerals that occur naturally in the environment as a collection of fibers that can be separated into thin threads and can also be long-lasting for use in commercial or industrial applications. These fibers are resistant to heat, fire & chemicals or materials that do not conduct electricity. For this reason, asbestos has been used widely in many industries. Additional minerals such as asbestos are found in the natural environment, including erionite.

Chemically, asbestos minerals are as follows silicate compounds, which means they contain silicon and oxygen atoms in their molecular structure.

Mineral asbestos is divided into two major groups: namely Serpentine asbestos and amphibole asbestos. Asbestos Serpentine includes chrysotile minerals, which have long, curly fibers that can be woven. Asbestos chrysotile is the most widely used form in commercial applications. Amphibole asbestos includes actinolite, tremolite, anthophyllite, crocidolite, and amosite minerals. Amphibole asbestos has straight fibers, like needles that are more fragile than serpentine asbestos and more limited in their ability to be made

What are the health hazards of asbestos exposure?

People may be exposed to asbestos in their workplaces, their communities, or their homes. If the product containing asbestos is disrupted, small asbestos fibers are released into the air. When asbestos fibers are inhaled, it may be trapped in the lungs & remain there for a long time. Over time, these fibers can accumulate and also cause scarring and inflammation, which can affect breathing and cause serious health problems.

Asbestos has been classified as a known human carcinogen (a cancer-causing substance) by the US Department of Health and Human Services, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the International Agency for Cancer Research (IARC). that asbestos causes mesothelioma (a relatively rare cancer of the thin membrane lining the chest and stomach), and cancer of the lungs, larynx and ovaries. Although rare, mesothelioma is the most common form of cancer associated with asbestos exposure. There is limited evidence that asbestos exposure is associated with an increased risk of cancer of the stomach, pharynx and colorectum.

Asbestos exposure can also increase the risk of asbestosis (inflammatory conditions that greatly affect the lungs can also cause shortness of breath, coughing, and permanent lung damage) and other lung and nonmalignant pleural disorders, including pleural plaques (changes in the surrounding membrane lungs), pleural thickening, and benign pleural effusion (collection of abnormal fluid between the thin layers of tissue that line the lungs and chest wall). Although pleural plaque is not a precursor to lung cancer, evidence suggests that people with pleural disease caused by exposure to asbestos may be at increased risk for lung cancer (2, 9).

Erionite has also been classified as a human carcinogen known by IARC & by HHS. Currently it is not regulated by EPA.

Cancer Asbestos

Asbestos cancer is often caused by inhaling or ingesting microscopic asbestos fibers. The term "asbestos cancer" most often refers to mesothelioma. Some other malignancies associated with asbestos exposure include lung cancer, ovarian cancer and voice mail cancer.

Asbestos is a unique type of mineral that can be pulled apart into flexible fibers. When you breathe in or swallow microscopic asbestos fibers, your body may never dissolve or remove it. For years, fiber can cause genetic changes that can cause cancer.

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Lifestyle factors can increase the risk of getting cancer after asbestos exposure. These include smoking, chronic stress, poor dietary habits and poor physical fitness.

Most cases of asbestos related diseases trace back to occupational exposure. The World Health Organization says asbestos causes half of all cancer deaths in the workplace. Exposure to used & environmental asbestos can cause cancer too.

Most Common Asbestos Cancer:

- Mesothelioma

- Lung cancer

- Laryngeal cancer

- Ovarian cancer

Symptoms of Asbestos Cancer

People with a history of asbestos exposure should seek a routine health check, you must be careful for the following signs:

- Shortness of breath, cough & chest pain are symptoms of pleural mesothelioma, pericardial mesothelioma, and lung cancer.

- Stomach swelling and pain, digestive problems, changes in bowel habits and nausea are symptoms of mesothelioma peritoneum, stomach cancer, colon cancer and ovarian cancer.

- Changes in menstruation, fatigue, back pain and pain during sex can be additional symptoms of ovarian cancer.

Asbestos Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment

Diagnosing asbestos cancer is one very long process. The patient's primary care physician must refer them to a specialist depending on which part of the body is affected. Doctors can treat mesothelioma and most other forms of asbestos cancer with surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

Imaging tests, such as X-rays, CT scans & PET scans, help doctors look into the body to look for tumors. Blood tests look for other signs of cancer such as abnormal blood cell counts. Biopsy is a sample of tissue collected in and around the tumor. They help determine what type of cancer is present.

These tests are standard when mesothelioma or lung cancer is suspected. Other diseases involve their own tests. A Pap smear diagnosing ovarian cancer & a colonoscopy diagnoses colon cancer.

Chemotherapy is the most common treatment or treatment for cancer related to asbestos. The specific drug used varies depending on the location of the disease. Immunotherapy has been approved for lung cancer. This is being tested in clinical trials for others.

Cancer Asbestos Known

Asbestos Located in the Lining of Lungs

Inhaled asbestos can attach to the organ layer, and can cause cells to mutate or become cancerous.

The International Agency for Cancer Research (IARC) published a review in 2012. They confirmed that asbestos caused four types of cancer, namely: Mesothelioma, lung cancer, laryngeal cancer and ovarian cancer.

Doctors began documenting the health hazards of asbestos exposure almost a century earlier in the 1920s and 1930s. Unfortunately, asbestos industry executives pressured and manipulated medical research for decades.

Due to the negligence of the asbestos industry, thousands of lawsuits have been filed by mesothelioma lawyers on behalf of cancer patients seeking compensation.

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Mesothelioma cancer

Mesothelioma is the only type of cancer that is almost exclusively caused by asbestos exposure. Approximately 75 percent of mesotheliomas form in the pleura (lining of the lungs). Nearly 20 percent are formed in the peritoneum (lining of the stomach). In rare cases, cancer develops in the lining of the heart or testicles.

The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention reports that more than 3,000 cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed in the US each year between 2003 and 2008.

The researchers estimate the incidence of mesothelioma will peak around 2015-20, but the current statistics show an increase in the case rather than a decline.

Lung cancer

Lung cancer associated with asbestos kills twice as many people in America each year as mesothelioma. Asbestos exposure is the main cause of around 4 percent of lung cancer cases.

Most cases of lung cancer trace back to people who often smoke. The combination of smoking and exposure to asbestos greatly increases the risk of developing lung cancer. More than 220,000 cases of lung cancer were diagnosed in the US in 2017.

cancerous larynx

Laryngeal cancer, or voice box, is usually associated with smoking & a lot of alcohol consumption is too excessive. However, inhaled asbestos fibers can also enter the voice box when heading to the lungs.

More than 13,000 cases of laryngeal cancer occur in 2017, according to the American Cancer Society. Smoking, drinking, and combined asbestos exposure significantly increases a person's risk.

Ovarian cancer

Ovarian cancer is diagnosed by approximately 22,000 American women in 2017. The cause is unknown in many cases. Medical research has determined exposure to asbestos as a cause of ovarian cancer.

Researchers are still debating how exposure to asbestos dust can cause ovarian cancer. Some cases have been linked to personal hygiene products made from contaminated talcum powder.