Asbestos

Asbestos Related to Lung Cancer

1. Thoracic carcinomas, such ad adenocarcinoma and bronchial carcinoma can also caused by exposure to asbestos 2. Latency period between asbestos exposure and the development of asbestos related lung cancer may be two, three, four or more decades 3. often suffer from asbestosis will develop lung cancer

Historical reference of asbestos use in Ancient Persian civilization

1. Imported asbestos from India 2. Wrapping for their dead (burial clothe) 3. Believed asbestos to be hair from a small mythical animal that lived by fire and died by water

Asbestos and the Middle Ages

1.Use declines 2. Charlemagne use of tablecloth to convince some barbarian guests that he had natural powers 3. Marco Polo shown asbestos cloth on his travels 4. Used as insulation in armor

Ancient Health Effects

Ancient observations of the health risks of asbestos were either forgotten or ignored until the turn of the 20th century ( 1st documented case in 1897)

Asbestos use in the United States

Asbestos became highly valuable material, with the advent of the age of the steam locomotive in the 19th century

A presumptive connection is made when

Asbestos recognized as a cause of occupational disease in Charing Cross Hospital London

What makes asbestos an extremely useful material that has been used by many cultures throughout history

Asbestos unique combination of properties

Early stage of Asbestos

1. Lung typically normal in appearance 2. Minor changes in pulmonary function 3. Symptoms include: shortness of breath, Dry cough that isnt occuring during time of sickness, general malaise or feeling drained and tired, wheezing

Asbestosis

1. Pneumoconiosis produced by the inhalation of asbestos fibers 2. Characterized by diffuse interstitial fibrosis of the lung parenchyma 3. Generally classified by stages ( Early, Mid, Advanced)

Mesothelioma

1. Rare kind of cancer 2. Considered a " Signature Tumor" 3. Arises from the mesothelial cells of that line the plueral, pericardial, and peritoneal cavities 4. Long latency period (30-50 years)

Historically Exposed Employee Groups

1. Shipbuilding industries 2. Asbestos mining and milling 3. Manufacturing of asbestos textiles and other asbestos products 4. Insulation work in the construction and building trades

Stage I

Cancer is only seen in one side of the chest lining, or pleura

Serpentine Minerals

Chrysotile

Ancient Roman Civilization Use of Asbestos

1. Use of Asbestos for its flame-retardant and insulation properties 2. Wove asbestos fibers into fabrics to make towels, nets and head coverings for women 3. Used in buildings materials

Greek uses of Asbestos

1. Woven into the clothing worn by imported slaves 2. Wicks of the eternal flames of the vestal virgins 3. Funeral dress for the cremation of kings 4. Napkins

Minerals Types of Asbestos are divided into

1. Serpentine Minerals 2. Amphibole Minerals

Amosite

1. "Brown" Asbestos 2. Fibrous Amphibole mineral 3. 3rd most abundantly used type in the US 4. Primarily used in cement products ( siding, pipes)

Crocidolite

1. "Blue" asbestos 2. Fibrous Amphibole mineral 3. Considered most hazardous of all asbestos 4. Less heat-resistant than other types 5. Used primarily in cement products 6. Used in WWII gas masks and filters

Illinesses of asbestos is a result of

inhaling airborne asbestos fibers

Permissible Exposure Limit

is 5 f/cc

Safe levels of asbestos

is established as conditions such that no more than one in three workers will get asbestos after 15-19 years of work exposure

Chrysotile

1. "White" asbestos 2. Fibrous serpentine material 3. Most abundant used type in US ( 90%) 4. Primarily imported from Canada

What is Asbestos

1. A Greek term given because of flame-resistant properties ( Asbestos meaning meaning inextinguishable) 2. Adopted by industry and applied to several species of naturally occurring fibrous silicate minerals

Examples in the US

1. A major component in insulating boiler, fireboxes and pipes in steam locomotives 2. Brakes and clutches 3. Effective solution to the problems of heat buildup and temperature fluctuations in these trains

Friable Asbestos

1. A term that describes any abestos-containing material that when dry, can be easily crumbled or pulverized to power by hand 2. Materials that contains more than 1% asbestos and is friable is considered to be Regulated Asbestos Containing Material ( RACM)

Major Asbestos Illnesses

1. Asbestosis 2. Mesothelioma 3. Asbestos-related lung cancer 4. Pleural plaques

Asbestos use in the Industrial Revolution

1. Became very popular product during the 1800s to the mid to late 20th century 2. Used as insulation for steam pipes, trurbines, boilers, kiln, ovens, and other high-temperature products 3. Increased demand resulted in increased commercial mining

Currently Exposed Employee Groups

1. Demolition and renovation workers 2. Asbestos abatement workers 3. Firefighters 4. Automobile workers 5. Industrial maintenance employees

Pleural Plaques

1. Deposits of fibrous tissue that develop in the chest cavity as a result of asbestos exposure 2. Deposits are usually found on the parietal pleura 3. They commonly calcify which is the reason they are called plaques and can be seen on x-rays

Anthyophyllite

1. Fibrous Amphibole material 2. Impurity in talc deposits 3. Not an economically important

Actinolite

1. Fibrous Amphibole material 2. Typically an impurity in tremolite and anthophyllite deposits 3. Not an economically important material

Tremolite

1. Fibrous Amphibole mineral 2. Commonly occurs in talc deposits 3. Impurity in mica deposits

Why is Asbestos used

1. Soft and pliable ( Cotton/flax materials) 2.Very durable ( Fire/Heat resistant, Chemical resistant, High tensile strength, Good thermal and electrical insulating properties, Good frictional properties)

Advanced stage of Asbestos

1. Stage can be frightening and may require hospitalization 2. More severe chest pain 3. Poor sleep 4. Swelling of the hands 5. Coughing up blood or fluid form the lungs 6. Recurring infections ( respiratory)

Three keys to determining how advanced mesothelioma cancer is using the TNM system

1. The extent of the cancer 2. How advanced the disease is in the lymph nodes 3. How the cancer has spread to other organs

Amphibole Minerals

1. Amosite 2. Anthophylite 3. Actinolite 4. Crocidolite 5. Tremolite

The American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) establishes what in 1946

A Maximum acceptable concentration (MAC) in 1946 of 5 million particles per cubic foot (mppcf) for occupational exposure

War World use of Asbestos

A lot used; used in ships, insulating many components that were subjected to high heats

Construction industries use of Asbestos

ACM included insulation products, floor and ceilings tiles, siding, roofing, products, and cement pipes; in homes and buildings

First to recognize asbestos' harmful biological effects

Greeks

NESHAP revised

Green book is issued, a guidance document on operations and maintenance programs for the management of in place ACM

Stage III using TNM System

In addition to the pleura, mesothelioma spreads to part of the chest cavity behind the breast bone or within the chest wall. This stage also usually includes cancer of the lymph nodes

Mid-stage of Asbestos

Include all symptoms of early stages but includes: 1. Shortness of breath is more frequent 2. Recurring chest pain or a feeling of tightness in the chest area 3. Cubbed fingers or pitted, uneven fingernails 4. A positive asbestosis MRI showing damaged cross-sections of the lungs that have a honeycomb appearance

How Exposure Occurs

Inhalation of asbestos

Household use of Asbestos

Insulation in appliances, handheld hair dryers, etc; Ironing boards, Textiles

Stage IV

Mesothelioma has spread to several major organs

Stage I using TNM System

Mesothelioma is restricted to the pluera of the chest and has not spread to other areas

EPA Orange book is revised to provide guidance to manage friable asbestos in non-schoo ln buildings

New document is the blue book

The last comprehensive EPA guidance document for asbestos in buildings is issued

Purple book; The Guidance for Controlling Asbestos- Containing Material in Buildings

Four Stages of Mesothelioma Cancer

Stage I, Stage II, Stage III, Stage IV

Asbestos

Subject of much industrial promise, pain& suffering, legal action, and controversy 1. Magic Mineral 2. Asbestosis& Mesothelioma 3. Law Suits 4. Abatement of ACM

The Butchart staging system is slowly being replaced by the

TNM system for identifying mesothelioma cancer

Stage III

The cancer has invaded the diaphragm and the lining if the abdominal cavity or has spread to additional lymph nodes in the body

Stage II using TNM System

The cancer has spread to the pleural lining and to the outer lining of the lung or into the lung itself

Stage II

The mesothelioma has spread to any one of the chest wall, esophagus or heart or the lymph nodes of the chest

Stage IV using TNM System

The most advanced of the mesothelioma stages, when cancer has spread to major organs or the bones or brain

Chrysotile

The most common form of asbestos is derived from the Greek words "chrysos" (gold) and "tilos"(fiber) or "gold fiber"

EPA begins providing technical assistance to help schools identify and control friable ACM

The primary documents are the orange books

TNM Staging System

Tumor, Nodes, and Metastasis

Workers are allowed to receive compensation for asbestos after

UK Parlaiment require dust control measures in asbestos textile factories

Historical reference of asbestos use in Ancient Egypt

Used asbestos to improve durability of clothing; Used to embalm the pharaohs (packing material)

Automotive use of Asbestos

Used in clutch and brake linings; floor mats and other pliable materials

Latency of disease can occur

between a few years to 40 years

Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issues rules prohibiting the sale of consumer patching

compounds and fireplace emberizing agents containing respirable free form asbestos *1977