Asbestos Related Diseases

A Health Care Article Contributed by Kanchana Gunasekaran

Diseases Related to Asbestos

The diseases which are commonly caused by asbestos are mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, pleural diseases etc. Malignant mesothelioma is a rare type of cancer. It is difficult to diagnose and is not so effective to therapy. It is the most serious among all the diseases related to asbestos. Exposure to asbestos is the main reason of this disease.

The Most Serious Asbestos Related Disease - Malignant Mesothelioma

The most serious among all asbestos related disease is malignant mesothelioma. The chest cavity, abdominal cavity and the cavity around the heart are lined by a layer of mesothelial cells. The outer surface of most of the internal organs are also covered by these mesothelial cells. The main risk factor for developing malignant mesothelioma is exposure to asbestos. Asbestos belongs to the family of magnisium-silicate mineral fibers. Asbestos is a poor conductor of heat.

So it was used for the purpose of insulation in the past. The use of asbestos was decreased after getting to know about the fact that asbestos was closely linked to the development of malignant mesothelioma. Many schools and public buildings of the United States are still having asbestos insulation. People who are involved at installing insulation are at a high risk of the asbestos related disease, malignant mesothelioma.

Forms of Asbestos

There are two main forms in which asbestos exists. They are serpentine and amphibole. The fibers of serpentine are curly and pliable. The most widely used form of asbestos is chrysolite which is the only type of serpentine fiber. Amphiboles are thin, rod shaped fibers. There are five types of amphiboles. They are crocidolite, actinolyte, tremolite, anthrophylite and amosite. Among the amphiboles, crocidolite is considered to be the most carcinogenic.

How Does Asbestos Cause Cancer?

Asbestos causes cancer by physically irritating cells of various organs. When the fibers of asbestos are inhaled most of them sticks up to the mucus inside the air passages and are swallowed. These fibers are not cleared easily and travel till the end of the small airways and ultimately penetrate into the pleural lining of the chest wall and the lung. The mesothelial cells are directly affected by these fibers which leads to mesothelioma.

The fibers of the asbestos damages the cells of the lung which also results the disease called asbestosis. In asbestosis scars are formed in the tissues of the lung. Swallowing the asbestos fibers which are inhaled also results in Peritoneal mesothelioma. The risk of developing malignant mesothelioma is directly related to the extent to which a person is exposed to asbestos. However mesothelioma takes a number of years to develop.

Though the exposure to asbestos plays the main role in the development of malignant mesothelioma, genetic factors also are to be taken into consideration. Studies have shown that around 6% of asbestos workers die of malignant mesothelioma 15 years after they started getting exposed to asbestos. Abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and loss of weight are the main symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma.