FREE ESSAY ON ASBESTOS:WHAT'S THIS STUFF?

ASBESTOS:WHAT'S THIS STUFF?

ASBESTOS: WHAT IS THIS STUFF?
Six months ago, my husband and I purchased a small piece of property in Manhattan, Kansas
to start our own computer repair business. The property was in desperate need of
remodeling, but we needed to keep expenses to a minimium in order to make any profit. We
had two other employees besides ourselves at this time, but as business started to pick
up, we had to hire five more technicians to keep up with all the orders that were coming
in. Our space was getting limited and then we were left with the decision that it was now
time to get ready to remodel the building. We hired our own staff to help with the
remodeling, at their request for the overtime and their experience with this type of
work. This was more economical for us, since we could just pay our own employees overtime
instead of hiring contractors to come in and do the work at a more expensive rate.
The construction team began tearing down walls and removing ceiling tiles in a part of
the building that was not used before. One of the employee's discovers a white powdery
substance during this process that he is to believe is asbestos. That next morning, the
employees come to me to report the case of this dangerous material. I didn't know what to
do since I was no expert on this type of stuff. I had decided to call the county health
department to get some information on such a material called asbestos. The health
department had given me some material to read on asbestos that came from the Department
of Labor, it read:
Asbestos is a group of naturally occurring minerals. The three most common types of
asbestos are:
a)chrysotile
b)amosite
c) crocidolite
Asbestos is commonly used as an acoustic insulator, thermal insulation, fire proofing and
in other building materials. Asbestos fibers are incredibly strong and have properties
that make them resistant to heat. Asbestos is often found in ceiling tiles, pipe and
vessel insulation, blown on to structural beams and ceilings, in floor tile, linoleum and
mastic. Asbestos is made up of microscopic bundles of fibers that may become airborne
when distributed. These fibers get into the air and may become inhaled into the lungs,
where they may cause significant health problems. Researchers still have not determined a
safe level of exposure but we know the greater and the longer the exposure, the greater
the risk of contracting an asbestos related disease. (Department of Labor, 1998)
This had given me a general ideal of what this material was contained of but I had not
known that this was harmful to your health if inhaled. I immediately began to panic for
my employees and myself because we had been exposed to the substance for a long period of
time and not knowing that it could be causing health concerns was worrying me. I then
investigated the diseases that this substance may cause if inhaled for over a period of
time. I looked up on the internet about asbestos related diseases at "The Official
Website Of National Cancer Institute" at www.graylab.ac.uk/cancernet/600321.html. It has
a lot of helpful information on asbestos related diseases. According to the report,
asbestos caused four serious diseases: lung cancer, mesothelioma, digestive system
cancer, and asbestosis. The information I found on these four types were: 
Lung cancer refers to any type of malignant tumor that originates in the lung itself
(unlike mesothelioma, which is in the pleural lining around the lung.) Adding to the
complexity of understanding the relationship between lung cancer and asbestos exposure is
the issue of smoking. There is a synergistic relationship between asbestos exposure and
smoking. What this means is that although workers who have been exposed to asbestos have
a higher risk of developing lung cancer, it is also well known that smokers have a higher
risk of developing lung cancer; but the cancer risk of workers who were exposed to
asbestos and who smoked is not simply the sum of these two separate risks. Rather, these
risks are multiplied. The combined cancer risk is therefore very much higher - as high as
50 to 90 times the risk faced by the general population. (Kazan, McClain, Edises, Simons,
and Abrams, 1999) 
Mesothelioma is sometimes diagnosed by coincidence, before there are any symptoms. For
instance, tumors have been discovered through routine chest x-rays. However, when
symptoms occur, they may include shortness of breath, weakness, weight loss, loss of
appetite, chest pains, lower back pains, persistent coughing, difficulty in swallowing,
alone or in combination. An initial medical examination often shows a pleural effusion,
which means an accumulation of fluid in the pleural space - the area between the lungs
and the chest wall. (Kazan, McClain, Edises, Simons, and Abrams, 1999)
The underlying disease process of asbestosis is not yet fully understood, but it appears
that asbestos fibers in the lungs cause irritation and inflammation. The body attempts to
neutralize these foreign fibers in various complex ways, and some or all of these
processes lead to further inflammation and cell damage. Eventually a fibrosis or scar
tissue develops in the interstitial spaces around the small airways and alveoli. This
thickening and scarring prevents oxygen and carbon dioxide from traveling between the
alveoli and the blood cells, so breathing becomes much less efficient. (Kazan, McClain,
Edises, Simons, and Abrams, 1999)
The causal connection between exposure to asbestos fibers and development of
gastro-intestinal tract cancers appears probable, but has not yet been proven with
certainty. The diseases for which asbestos exposure is a generally accepted cause, are
mesothelioma, asbestosis, small airway fibrosis, pleural plaques, pleural fibrosis,
pleural effusions, and many lung cancers in association with asbestosis. At this time
asbestos exposure is not generally accepted as the cause of cancers of the pancreas,
kidney, stomach, colon, esophagus or ovary. (Kazan, McClain, Edises, Simons, and Abrams,
1999)
The information on asbestos related diseases was really starting to worry me. I was
concerened about what was to be done with the asbestos containing material that was all
throughout my building that I was making my living out of. I didn't know if I was going
to have to buy another piece of property and start all over again or try to get rid of
this deadly material. I was also worried about my employees state of health discovering
what exposure to asbestos may cause. I was going to get this taken care of once and for
all but I didn't know who I should call or should I just do it myself, so then I found
more information on the removal of asbestos from Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). EPA and OSHA are
responsible for regulating environmental exposure and protecting workers from asbestos
exposure. OSHA is responsible for the health and safety of workers who may be exposed in
the workplace, or in connection with their jobs. EPA is responsible for developing and
enforcing regulations to protect the public from this airborne contaminant that is
hazardous to human health. New OSHA regulations require building owners to presume that
any suspected material is asbestos until a laboratory analysis is conducted. This had
determined what was needed to be done to keep this contaminant controlled.
Once all of the asbestos containing material was removed, the computer repair shop was
open for business once again. Now that I know what asbestos is all about, I take greater
precaution measures for all of my employees and myself. Asbestos is still a problem today
because a great deal of it has been used in many products for a long period of time
within the United States and elsewhere. Consequently, asbestos containing fibers may be
found in man-made materials nearly anywhere in the world. Most people have been exposed
to asbestos at least once in their lifetime, but the risk of disease is greatest for
those workers who work around asbestos containing material. Dealing with asbestos
responsibly can save lives and prevent debilitating diseases.
THE END