Asbestos is one of the top ten natural killing agents in the world. There are 125 million people in the world currently exposed to asbestos-related products. In 2004, asbestos caused 107,000 deaths . The UK has flagged ‘Asbestos facts’ as the highest workplace killer. These seven asbestos facts will help you get an understanding of the key facts about asbestos.
7 Asbestos Facts related to Asbestos Awareness
In the UK, asbestos is a killing material. You will find asbestos in most of the old houses in the UK. So the following seven facts are going to help you know everything about asbestos.
1. Know The Asbestos Types
Asbestos is a group of six naturally occurring silicate minerals that are all composed of long and thin fibrous crystals. Although ‘Asbestos’ is a commercially used term, they are used as excellent insulators and highly heat-resistant products. It is a hydrous magnesium silicate (Mg3Si2O5(OH)4) that owns six branches.
Chrysotile or White Asbestos
The most common asbestos is white asbestos. It is severely found on roofs, asbestos ceilings, walls and floors, car brake linings, plumbing insulation, and boilers.
Amosite or Brown Asbestos
It is used in pipe insulation, cement sheets, making ceiling tiles, boards for insulation, and in thermal insulation materials. The standard way to identify Amosite is as a needle-like fibre. Amosite is the second most common type of asbestos.
Crocidolite or Blue Asbestos
It is the least heat-resistant of all types of asbestos. Blue asbestos is widely used in insulating steam engines, in some spray-on coatings, as well as pipe insulation and cement products. Uncommon in the UK and New Zealand but still mined in Australia, South Africa and Bolivia.
Actinolite
Not very common or widely used but still a contaminant in some asbestos materials.
Tremolite
It is not commercial asbestos but found as a contaminant in white asbestos and talcum powder.
Anthophyllite
It is highly rare asbestos but found in floor tiles.
2. A Deadly Combo, Stay Away
The scientists from different organizations have come to a unified decision that all types of asbestos are deadly. The USA Department of Health services classified all types of asbestos as cancer-causing substances.
The UK Health Protection Agency said that Amphibole varieties are the most hazardous asbestos (white and brown). So stay away from sniffing/touching asbestos products mentioned above.
3. Asbestos Exposure
Typically asbestos exposure can happen in two ways.
Inhalation
The most common asbestos fact is that you can inhale it. The inhalation risk occurs from asbestos products, old building specks of dust or installing asbestos insulation, older asbestos-containing materials that start to break. In any of these situations, you inhale asbestos as dust floating in free air.
Eating
There are many ways it can happen. The conventional way is drinking water from asbestos-containing pipes, gaskets or even filtering rocks. Asbestos miners face both kinds of asbestos exposure more than all other people.
In workplaces, people can be exposed to asbestos by spray coatings, leggings, insulation boards, fibre cement, asbestos millboard and papers, floor tiles, gaskets, bitumen felts, mastics, sealants, putties and adhesive, textured coatings and paints, reinforced plastics.
Become an Asbestos Hazard Expert
4. Asbestos Inhalation Affects the Lung
All kinds of asbestos exposure is a risk. But inhaling asbestos dust has more asbestos effect on people. The effects of asbestos can cause 20% of lung diseases in the UK. The common diseases that asbestos hazard causes-
- Lung cancer (happens in the lung)
- Ovarian cancer (happens in ovum)
- Laryngeal cancer (happens in larynx/inhaling path of the neck)
- Asbestosis (a peculiar respiratory disease named after asbestos)
- Pleural effusions
- Pleural plaques
- Pleuritis
- Diffuse pleural thickening
So if you are a worker in such a situation in any country, try to give another thought. The asbestos risk is as severe as smoking to some point. This is one of the asbestos facts you have to consider.
5. Slow Poisoning Risk
Imagine you worked for 20 to 30 years to earn retirement savings and after 60 you know that you have lung problems or worse, cancer. A crucial fact about asbestos is that it kills you slowly and painfully. The symptoms of mesothelioma (cancer in people’s term) may take 15-20 years to show.
This latency period is quite reasonable among asbestos hazards exposed to people. A study of the University of Warwick shows that people from 60-70 years old are overwhelmingly diagnosed with mesothelioma or asbestos-related diseases.
6. UK’s Highest Worker Killer
In the UK, there are almost 5000 workers who die in asbestos-related diseases annually. The asbestos fact was so severe in the UK that the government had to ban this. The projected death toll due to asbestos hazards resulted in 2526 mesothelioma deaths.
The UK health and safety executive published a report in 30th October 2019 stating that there were 2,230 new cases of mesothelioma assessed for Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit (IIDB) in 2018 of which 245 were female, compared with 2,025 in 2017 of which 235 were female. The UK official data collection report will give you a better view of this.
7. Proper Training and Safety Measure
Asbestos is banned in over 60 countries, including the UK and the EU also. Though the USA is not on this list, its government highly regulates asbestos products and the industries. If people in the USA find themselves in asbestos hazards, they may follow some of the mentioned steps:
- Immediately Seal off the area with sheets of plastic and turn off the air conditioner.
- Use high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) respirator. (Highly recommended)
- Use disposable coverings and gloves. Do not intend to use it a second time.
- Do not do anything that makes the dust float in the air, e.g. pumping, airflow, fanning etc. Keep it wet with a pump sprayer instead.
- Use a vacuum cleaner to clean the place.
- Dispose of asbestos waste in a particular place so that everyone gets a safety. Contact your municipality to deal further.
Everyone must follow such instructions. The UK houses have had asbestos since 50-60 years. So any old house possibly contains asbestos in the roof, ceiling or tiles. The UK government has a detailed article ‘Working safely with asbestos’ that describes DOs and DON’Ts and the necessary law required.
You can also read this blog to know about asbestos awareness.
Become an Asbestos Hazard Expert
Closing note
Asbestos facts are necessary to know because still today Russia, India, Brazil, Mexico mine asbestos. The industries are on profit because people still use asbestos products. So awareness is mandatory in case of asbestos exposure.
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