Health Risks of Asbestos Exposure

Asbestos is a mineral used in many industries in 1972. Many buildings were constructed by using asbestos including offices, homes, and schools. Asbestos is used because it is strong and resistant to heat. It is commonly found in ceiling, pipes, and flooring. When it was firstly used, people only thought about the strength of asbestos for constructing a building. However, nowadays, asbestos is proven to be the cause of some lung diseases when it is inhaled. The old buildings which use asbestos for their constructions will give health risks of asbestos exposure.

People who are working in the place built by asbestos or those who are having much time with asbestos exposure in any field will have greater risk to get some lung diseases. It is similar to smoke. When you are smoking more and more, you will have greater risk in getting disease. When someone is getting lung cancer due to asbestos, it will be worse when he is smoking because smoking can increase the lung cancer caused by asbestos.

The health risks of asbestos exposure are not only lung cancer. There are some other lung problems caused by asbestos exposure such as mesothelioma and asbestosis. Asbestosis is caused by asbestos fibers inhaled and trapped in the lungs. The body will produce acid to dissolve the fibers but the acid doesn’t work to destroy the fiber and it serves scar to the lung tissue. When you have more asbestos exposure, it doesn’t mean that you will get the symptoms at first time you inhale asbestos. You may not even feel any symptoms. The symptoms of asbestos exposure leading to lung cancer may be from 15 to 35 years. With the higher health risks of asbestos exposure, people need to aware of their health to minimize building any construction by using asbestos.