Comments on: Asbestos Exposure Causes Lung Cancer and Mesothelioma- Video

By: Kris,There is something going on

Kris,There is something going on — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 00:51:16 +0000

It's unlikely.
Cats don't smoke, which greatly increases the likelihood of lung cancer for people who have been exposed to asbestos.

Cats don't live very long, and are likely to die of other causes well before lung cancer would show up.

But here's the thing: if your cat has been exposed to asbestos, so have you. Kitty will have carried some fibers home on her fur. I'm more worred about you than the cat. Tell your doctor. You may want to get screened in a decade.

By: devijgen

devijgen — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 17:04:29 +0000

It depends on the kind of asbestos. Some kinds the risk is so low that it is worse to remove it, because of the added risk of stirring it up. I'm assuming you mean mesothelioma, which afflicts about 2-3,000 new people each year in the US (out of all third of a billion of us!), so the actual risk is very, very low. It also tends to be older folks. Of course, none of that helps if it's you, but you should keep the risk in perspective, and remember to wear a seatbelt and not smoke before you worry about spending mega-bucks removing asbestos or buying a new home to get away from it.

Here's some info on prevention:

By: Ms. Dazzle

Ms. Dazzle — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 01:52:19 +0000

Asbestos does indeed cause a rare form of lung disease called mesothelioma. It is because of the nature of the extremely small fibers that make up asbestos. Once the loose fibers are inhaled the stay in the lungs for years as a constant irritant to the lungs, and eventually cancer results. In the past asbestos was used in everything from brake shoes, to window putty, to pipe insulation and more. It was used because of its ability to withstand high temps. The real problem is when the fibers are loose like when the wheels of a car are removed and the dust is inhaled, or when the insulation of an old building is flaking and the fibers are loose and can be inhaled, this is the real danger. As long as the asbestos is intact and the fibers are not loose there is no danger. Asbestos is no longer used in cars, or insulation or ceiling tiles or any other products because it is so dangerous. If these are newer ironing board covers there is no asbestos in there. About 5 years ago here in MN there was a congressman who died of lung cancer caused by asbestos exposure. He worked in old buildings in the east side of Saint Paul, MN and was exposed to asbestos insulation. Once a person has it there is no cure, but based on what you wrote I would not worry about any modern products as asbestos was outlawed a long time ago.

By: James C

James C — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 22:44:38 +0000

Have you thought to ask your parents about this … or going to see your doctor?
Warts are not caused by asbestos … they are caused by a virus .

By: icantremember29

icantremember29 — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 17:07:31 +0000

There have been many types of lung issues. None from asbestos as that takes many years to develop. There is however lung issues from all the construction dust from drywall and concrete which will effect you immediately.

By: mandy c

mandy c — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 16:29:11 +0000

I suppose it could be a danger if you were in the heavy processing of these items. On the other hand, people who have never smoked still get lung cancer, as did the wife of Christopher Reeves.

They say paint, intensive gasoline fumes, and other chemicals infiltrating our air can cause this as well.

My sister died with it and it was thought to be strictly from stress.

We are all at a certain risk level just by living in a society. Don't worry about it though – worry can cause cancer too.

By: jdgalla05

jdgalla05 — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 01:32:28 +0000

suggest you check out the american heart and lung website. lots of useful information there.

By: Dianne Lacson

Dianne Lacson — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 15:06:52 +0000

The carcinogenic nature of asbestos (chrysotile) has been related to the shape of the particles more than their composition. In other words, the substance itself is not carcinogenic – the shape is!

Chrysotile produces very thin fibers that can be many times longer than they are wide. When these become embedded in the lungs, larger particles can be coughed out but smaller particles need to be carried out by a type of white blood cell called a macrophage. Unfortunately, small asbestos fibers tend to be so long relative to their width that they tend to be actually longer than the macrophages. When the macrophages try to engulf them, the cells puncture and the macrophages die before they can do their job.

The EPA has targeted asbestos fibers over 8 micrometers in length as being the bad actors in causing mesothelioma (asbestos-related cancer), and claims that particles shorter than about 4 micrometers are not harmful (although this point is still being argued). Theoretically, the macrophages can successfully engulf shorter particles and get rid of them.

So why the cancer? There have been various theories about the mechanism. One theory is that the constant release of biochemical "distress signals" given off by the dying macrophages are the actual cause of the cancer. Another theory is that the asbestos particles have active surface sites for the generation of free radicals from oxygen, and that the free radicals are capable of reacting with and damaging the surrounding cells.

It's an interesting story. The link below has everything that you need (it is basically a list of resource papers and articles) although you will have to do some work to sift through the material.

The summary I wrote here is just from memory. When I was in university many moons ago this was one of the hot research topics in our department, so I got to see a lot of presentations on the subject although it was not an area in which I was personally working.

Good luck on the project

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 14:48:25 +0000

Shortness of breath is the main first symptom. Fatigue, weight loss, and a dry cough are also symptoms. My mom died from mesothelioma in 2006.

By: eutemio3

eutemio3 — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 08:46:47 +0000

sad…..<:(