Asbestos Exposure and Smoking information and resources
The Link Between Asbestos Exposure and Smoking
It is common knowledge that smoking is hazardous to one’s health. Additionally, many people know that exposure to asbestos is very dangerous and can lead to the development of the disease mesothelioma. What many people do not know, however, is that when smoking and asbestos exposure are combined, both of the harmful elements work together to create a much higher risk for the development of mesothelioma, or other types of cancers.
Cigarettes have many harmful chemicals that break down the lungs and can be leading causes in cancer. Asbestos exposure also exposes the lung to harmful chemicals that weaken your body’s defenses against cancers and other lung problems. Studies have found that cigarette smokers have a four to eleven times greater chance of getting lung cancer than non-smokers. If a person is a heavy smoker, than the number goes up to twenty-seven times as likely. Adding a heavy smoker to asbestos exposure sends the probabilities for lung cancer skyrocketing. In fact, heavy smokers with a history of asbestos exposure have a 50 to 90 times greater chance of having lung cancer. Needless to say, heavy smoking and large amounts of asbestos exposure will almost certainly lead to lung cancer.
Smoking causes chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). People who smoke and have been exposed to asbestos have higher occurrences of COPD than people who have not been exposed to asbestos. Some of the terrible effects of COPD are the inflammation and eventual destruction of small airways in the lung tissue. Once these tissues have been destroys, some people can be completely debilitated.
Studies have shown that people who quit smoking, but still had asbestos exposure are less likely to have lung cancer than those people who continue to smoke. Some say that COPD can be reversed the longer time is spent without smoking. Additionally, people who are able to quit smoking often feel healthier over time and significantly increase their life expectancy. Even though any amount of smoking or asbestos exposure can lead to lung cancer, the sooner one quits, the better off he or she will be.
Asbestos exposure is very harmful for anyone. However if you know that you have been exposed to asbestos, and continue to smoke, you are playing with fate. The sooner someone stops smoking, the sooner his or her lungs can begin to heal. Mesothelioma and other cancers are very serious diseases that often end in death. In order to stay alive for loved ones, smokers should quit immediately.
Robert Linebaugh writes about a variety of health issues, but focuses on mesothelioma topics. Learn more at http://www.justmeso.com .
WSIB: The importance of knowing your rights if you have an asbestos-related disease
Asbestos-related diseases are increasing in the United States and in some other countries, because asbestos workers were exposed to this mineral, which is the main risk factor for developing the disease. The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) helps you to find out if you are entitled to compensation if you worked exposed to asbestos.
This is important, because when you are sick you do not have time to think of your disease causes, since you never thought of being ill with pain and even with so much danger to your health.
For instance, in Ontario, Canada, exists a Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) that oversees your state's workplace safety education and training system, provides disability benefits, monitors the quality of health care, and assists in early and safe return to work.
The most exposed workers to the risk of developing an asbestos-related disease are power plant workers, asbestos and talc miners, shipyard workers, auto break mechanics, demolition workers, pipe fitters, insulation workers, boilermakers and workers who make products which contain asbestos, such as firebricks, fire-retardant paint, and asbestos cement.
The most common asbestos-related diseases are asbestosis, mesothelioma, benign pleural diseases, pleural plaques and lung cancer.
It does not exist a cure for most of the above mentioned diseases, but there are treatments such as chemotherapy or radiotherapy, as for other types of cancer pathologies.
There are also different ways of prevention the high risk of inhaling asbestos fibers when you work with this material.
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What the Asbestos Companies Knew About Mesothelioma
the asbestos industry caused a great amount of pain to many families by ignoring the startling evidence that asbestos exposure is harmful and often deadly. All of the suffering could have been avoided because the asbestos companies knew a lot more than they informed the public about. The companies considered the protection of the industry more important than the lives of their workers.
Back in the 1920s, a large variety of medical articles showed that there was scarring on the lungs of asbestos factory workers. This evidence was revealed during autopsies of those workers. Asbestos companies had full knowledge of these articles, but chose to ignore the facts presented because the public reaction to such information would kill the asbestos industry. Further studies in the 1930s revealed that asbestos miners and factory workers were indeed dying of lung disease and cancer. There was enough evidence to support an undeniable correlation between asbestos exposure and the development of mesothelioma. Sadly, the companies decided to suppress this overwhelming evidence and in a series of letters between asbestos companies. In these same letters, executives revealed how far the companies were willing to go in order to protect their own interests. These letters that were circulated in the 1930s are called the “Sumner Simpson Papers.” In these letters, certain asbestos company executives made statements such as “the less said about asbestos, the better off we are.” Owens Illinois and Owens Corning Fiberglas conducted studies in the 1940s, attempting to prove that asbestos exposure was harmless, and save the asbestos industry. The studies revealed the exact opposite. They showed that exposure to asbestos was indeed quite harmful and even deadly. In light of the studies, the companies attempted to force scientists to change their conclusions.
Asbestos companies had full knowledge of the potential harm that could be caused by exposure to asbestos. Scientists and studies confirmed that there was a direct relationship between asbestos exposure and early death. Asbestos companies first tried to cover up the knowledge and silence scientists who conducted studies showing the harmful effects of asbestos exposure. Once the information about asbestos came to the public, these same companies attempted to deny having knowledge that people simply working around asbestos-containing products would suffer. The companies denied knowledge in order to avoid lawsuits. The simple fact is that asbestos-containing products cause serious injury and often lead to premature death. For this reason, mesothelioma lawsuits are quite valid and are in no way frivolous. Lung disease, lung cancer, and mesothelioma all stem from asbestos exposure. Many lives could have been saved if the asbestos companies were willing to release the information that they had access to.
Robert Linebaugh writes about a variety of health topics, but focuses on mesothelioma. Learn more at http://www.justmeso.com .
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