Asbestos Symptoms: Late Indicators

by Kirsten Hawkins

Asbestos symptoms refer to the changes in the body that indicate some type of serious diseases caused by exposure to asbestos particles.

Awareness about asbestos symptoms is important because danger of asbestos exposure affects about 1.3 million people every year. Individuals employed in the railroad, factory, shipyard, automobile, construction and building industries in last six decades are at the risk of developing asbestos symptoms.

Most unfortunate aspect of the asbestos related diseases is that the asbestos symptoms may lie dormant in the body for decades. This long latency period does not let the victim or his family knows about the existence of the disease. Asbestos symptoms might appear after 20-50 years of exposure.

Asbestos Ceiling Tiles V Potential Hazards And Precautions

Kirsten Hawkins

Asbestos was widely used as a component of ¡¥popcorn' ceiling in homes or in the form of asbestos ceiling tiles. It was also used as decorative sprays on the walls or for soundproofing purposes. However, off late there has been a lot of concern regarding the use of asbestos ceiling tiles because of harmful affects of asbestos particles on human health.

Hazards of Asbestos ceiling tiles

Asbestos contains deadly silicate fibers that can be airborne on applying physical force on asbestos ceiling tiles. The fibers when inhaled are retained by the lungs and cause potent lung disorders, such as mesothelioma or asbestosis. Even if ceilings are asbestos-free, certain insulation materials like Zonolite used in attic floors, can release toxic levels of asbestos while fixing a ceiling fan or a light. Asbestos ceiling tiles may contain formaldehyde and such volatile organic compounds as components. Asbestos found in ceiling tiles, if in good condition, causes no risk but loose, damp or crumbly asbestos is dangerous. Drilling and scraping of such material is a health hazard. In those cases, the building owners should remove the asbestos ceiling tiles or take necessary steps to prevent asbestos exposure due to asbestos contaminated ceiling tiles.

Safe Handling of Asbestos ceiling tiles

The best way is to avoid the use of asbestos ceiling tiles. However, if you are using asbestos ceiling tiles, you must take necessary precautions to avoid asbestos exposure. Some of the steps are:

„X Select low-emitting ceiling tiles certified by a reputed organization like Greenguard Environmental Institute.

„X Use porous ceiling tiles that trap odors and chemicals emitted from building activities.

„X Install ceiling tiles in a building only after painting, flooring or other such work is over. This prevents the ceiling tiles from absorbing and retaining the chemicals and organic solvents.

„X Recycle old ceiling tiles under new programs.

„X Hire professionals to reconstruct asbestos ceiling tiles as they adhere to safety norms and rules. Avoid sanding and dry-buffing asbestos floors.

„X Follow wet stripping or use low abrasion pads below 300 rpm to avoid exposure.

„X Report any broken ceiling tiles to Environmental Health & Safety Department.

File an Employee Exposure Report within 24 hours or as soon as possible with the Environmental Health & Safety Department in case of accidental exposure to asbestos.

Remember! A minor exposure to asbestos fibers can cause lung disorders, asbestosis or mesothelioma. Therefore, it is better to safe than sorry.

About The Author:
Kirsten Hawkins is a asbestos and mesothelioma specialist from Nashville, TN. Visit http://www.asbestosblog.org/ for information on asbestos reform, mesothelioma lawsuit news, and more.

Copyright Kirsten Hawkins - http://www.asbestosblog.org

No study so far has come out with convincing evidence to show the effects of different amount and different duration of exposure to asbestos particles. Although individuals who have been exposed to asbestos for a longer time are more susceptible to asbestos related diseases, yet there are instances when patients developed serious disease with only a few months exposure.

When exposed to asbestos, individuals either inhale or ingest the asbestos fibers. Natural destination of these fibers after inhalation is lungs while the ingested asbestos fibers take the route of digestive system. Therefore, asbestos symptoms start appearing in either lungs or digestive system. However, in some cases asbestos symptoms may appear in other organs also.

Asbestos symptoms may be the indicators of cancerous and non- cancerous type of asbestos diseases. Asbestosis is a non-cancerous type of asbestos disease. This disease has asbestos symptoms such as shortness of breath, chest pain and persistent cough. Ignorance of these symptoms may lead to serious disability or even death.

Mesothelioma is cancerous type of asbestos disease. Pleural mesothelioma affects the lining of lungs known as pleural membrane. Peritoneal mesothelioma shows its affect on the lining of organs of abdomen known as peritoneal membrane. Shortness of breath, persistent cough, chest pain and building up of fluids in the lungs are some symptoms of pleural mesothelioma. Asbestos symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma are weight loss, nausea, difficulty in bowel movements, foot swelling, anemia and building up of fluid in abdomen. In rare cases, fever and night sweating may also appear as asbestos symptoms.

People suffering from asbestos symptoms can file lawsuits against the persons and organizations for causing asbestos exposure. These Asbestos lawsuits can help the victims of asbestos symptoms to recover the damages for medical expenses, loss of income, lost earning capacity, pain and psychological sufferings.
About the Author

Kirsten Hawkins is a asbestos and mesothelioma specialist from Nashville, TN. Visit http://www.asbestosblog.org/ for information on asbestos reform, mesothelioma lawsuit news, and more.

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