About the Dangers Of Asbestos in Construction

Introduction

What is Asbestos?

Asbestos is a proportionate combination of few natural minerals like amosite, actinolite asbestos, anthophyllite asbestos, tremolite asbestos, chrysotile, crocidolite and chemical variants of these minerals. Until 1972, “construction asbestos” was an essential element most of the building’s main insulating component. An inhalation of asbestos fibers for a prolonged period can seriously damage your heart, lung and other organs of the body. Asbestosis builds a scar like tissues within the lung and can seriously damage the lung function permanently. If you are considering using material in your building construction asbestos; think twice.

History

Asbestos-- A Silent Killer

Asbestos is also known as silent killer, it can cause any of the four lethal diseases mentioned below:

Mesothelioma: It is one type of cancer that affects pleura, the lining of the lung and also to the surrounding lining of lower digestive tract called peritoneum. The most dangerous feature of this damage is that the disease can be detected only at the last fatal stage.

Lung cancer related to asbestos: It is similar to other types of lung cancer caused by smoking and other causes.
Asbestosis: It causes heavy scars on the lung after a prolonged heavy exposure to asbestos. It causes shortness of breath and in most cases it turns out to be fatal.

Pleural thickening: This also happens after prolonged and heavy exposure. The lining of the lungs is called pleura. This disease makes it swollen and thicken, gets squeezed in worsen condition and result breath shortness and discomfort at chest.

Features

More Facts on Asbestos

Until 1972 nobody was aware that inhalation of construction asbestos was nearly lethal. Asbestos was used as common building insulator because “asbestos fibers” and “construction asbestos” are exceptional heat resistant. Constructed asbestos becomes more dangerous when it is disturbed and as a result of such disturbance the poisonous asbestos fibers become airborne. These airborne fibers are called friable asbestos and intact or undisturbed asbestos is called as non- friable asbestos. Human lung becomes susceptible to many lethal diseases when it is forced to breathe within an environment of dangerous airborne friable asbestos.

Doctors often compare the harmful effect of asbestos with smoking. The more number of cigarettes a person smokes more likely to become a victim of lung cancer, similarly more a person exposed to asbestos greater the chance of developing lung cancer.

There are certain types of industrial jobs where workers are exposed to the manufacturing of asbestos or asbestos containing products. The workers who are mostly engaged in the repair works of brake and clutch, or engaged in the demolition or construction of building with construction asbestos are also susceptible to asbestos related diseases.
U.S. Department of Labor has prescribed certain exposure limit on Occupational Safety. It limits the exposure to asbestos must not more than 0.1 fiber ft/cc or per cubic centimeter in an average working shift of 8 hours. Any short term exposure averaging 30 minutes is also restricted by same amount. Any system of rotation to achieve the desired compliance PEL or Permissible Exposure Limit is not permitted by the law.

 

 

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