Asbestos Lung
Asbestos Lung | Lung Asbestos | Mesothelioma | Asbestos Lung Mesothelioma | Asbestos Lung Cancer
Asbestos lung , is lung cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. Asbestos was used in or with many products. Examples include steam pipes, boilers, furnaces, and furnace ducts; wallboard; floor and ceiling tiles; wood-burning stoves and gas fireplaces; car brakes, clutches, and gaskets; railroad engines; roofing and shingles; and wall-patching materials and paints. Asbestos also was used in various other items, such as fireproof gloves, ironing board covers, cooking pot handles, and hairdryers. Asbestos fibers also can be released into the air when older buildings containing asbestos-made products are destroyed. Removing the products, such as during a building renovation, also can release asbestos fibers into the air.
Studies show that asbestos is one of the major reasons for lung cancer deaths. People with a history of asbestos exposure are about seven times more likely to die from lung cancer than those who are unexposed to asbestos. It is quite tricky to detect this disease though, especially if the patient smokes cigarettes. The disease is double deadly when it is an asbestos lung disease and the victim is a smoker. People who both smoke tobacco and were exposed to asbestos have a risk of developing lung cancer that is 90 times greater than a person who did neither. There is no doubt that either smoking or exposure to asbestos greatly increase a person’s risk of developing lung cancer. When both of those factors are combined – when a person who was exposed to asbestos is also a smoker – the risk factor becomes astronomical. The problem is, lung damage caused by the more than 50 known carcinogens (cancer-causing agents) in tobacco smoke, as well as the other chemicals, irritants and toxins in cigarette smoke, leave smokers more susceptible to other irritants, such as inhaled asbestos fibers.
There is good news for smokers who were exposed to asbestos. Studies have shown that if you quit smoking, your lungs can begin to heal themselves. Ten years after putting down your last cigarette, your risk of developing lung cancer will have dropped from 90 times greater than a person who has never smoked or been exposed to asbestos to 4-5 times greater – the same risk that a non-smoker exposed to asbestos has. If you’ve been exposed to asbestos, this is all the more reason to stop smoking.
Asbestos lung cancer is hard to diagnose early as symptoms may take years to develop. In general, the risk is greatest for people who worked with asbestos and were exposed for at least several months to visible dust from asbestos fibers. When asbestos particles are set free and inhaled, however, exposed individuals are at risk of developing an asbestos-related disease. Once these fibers work their way into body tissues, they may stay there indefinitely.
Article Source :
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/asb/asb_risk.html
http://www.asbestos-lung-cancer.us/
http://www.mesolawsuit.com/asbestos/asbestos_related_lung_cancer.aspx
http://EzineArticles.com/
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