Asbestos Exposure

Asbestos minerals were previously heavily mined in the United States (U.S.) for use in construction, roofing, and insulation. 

It was undoubtedly a strong material, but experts have since condemned its public use due to the potential harm asbestos exposure can do to the human body. 

Many studies show that long-term asbestos exposure, through inhalation, can cause a multitude of diseases and negative health effects including lung cancer, mesothelioma, asbestosis, pleural effusions, and pleural plaques.

Why is Asbestos Exposure So Dangerous?

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral and a known carcinogen, a substance that can cause cancer. The microscopic fibers of asbestos are easily inhaled, especially when they are disturbed, making exposure highly dangerous. 

When there is asbestos buildup, it can damage the lining of the lung or lung tissue. It can take decades for victims to detect some of the symptoms of asbestos exposure, and this delays treatment. 

It should be noted that asbestos fibers cannot be detected by X-ray.

How many people have been harmed? 

According to the World Health Organization, more than 125 million people are exposed to asbestos in the workplace globally. In the U.S., about 15,000 people die from asbestos exposure every year.

We only have data available from 1999 to 2013, so these numbers could be higher. This also brings the total estimated number of asbestos-exposure deaths in the U.S. to 221,000 people.

Asbestos Exposure: Health Risks

The asbestos buildup to any part of your body cannot be reversed. A person with long-term asbestos exposure may experience the following:

Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is a cancer that occurs in the mesothelium, the thin layer of tissue that covers most of our internal organs. There is no cure for malignant mesothelioma.

A total of 1,961 cases of mesothelioma are reported every year, accounting for roughly 0.3% of all reported cancers annually.

Between 20% to 33% of all mesothelioma cases are peritoneal mesothelioma, a cancer that develops in the lining of the abdomen.

Some of the common symptoms of mesothelioma include weight loss, chest pain, and shortness of breath.

Although the effects of asbestos exposure are irreversible and the mortality rate of pleural malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is high if diagnosed early, a patient’s survival rate for malignant pleural mesothelioma increases.  According to the American Cancer Society, the five-year survival rate is about 10%, but can be as high as 18% if the cancer is localized (i.e. limited to the pleura).

The primary factors that impact MPM survival include:

• The age and overall health of the patient
• The cell type found in the patient’s tumor(s)
• The stage at which the cancer is diagnosed
• Whether the cancer has spread (metastasized)
• Where the tumors are located in the body
• What treatment options are available

Asbestos Lung Cancer

Asbestos lung cancer is induced by asbestos fiber inhalation. However, it can take anywhere from 15 to 35 years for a person to develop this type of cancer after asbestos exposure and show symptoms. 

Lung cancer accounts for about 75% of all occupational cancers. Experts say between 55% to 85% of lung cancers globally are caused by asbestos exposure.

Asbestosis

Asbestosis is a lung disease described as lung tissue scarring and inflammation. Asbestosis prevents regular lung expansion and contraction. One of the symptoms is shortness of breath.

Ovarian Cancer

Several studies have confirmed that asbestos causes ovarian cancer. The most clear source cause of this is occupational asbestos exposure. Across all 18 studies done in this meta-analysis,  researchers found that women exposed to asbestos are 177% more likely to develop ovarian cancer than those who were not exposed. 

The more surprising source of asbestos exposure comes from a seemingly innocent, everyday household item: Talcum powder. 

Talcum powder contains talc minerals, which are often found near asbestos minerals. Because of their geographical closeness, there is potential for cross-contamination, which was demonstrated in research published as early as 2014. Researchers demonstrated that frequent use of commercial cosmetic talcum powder exposed women to harmful asbestos fibers. This exposure impacted their lungs and lymph node tissues, sometimes resulting in pleural mesothelioma. 

In addition to the risk of malignant pleural mesothelioma and lung cancer, women who used talcum powder on their genitals or their pads were found to have an increased risk of acquiring ovarian cancer, especially with prolonged use. Experts say over 10,000 women each year are at risk of developing ovarian cancer due to exposure to talcum powder.

Other Asbestos Cancers

Other asbestos-related cancers include: 

• Stomach cancers
• Cancers of the pharynx
• Colorectal cancer
• Laryngeal Cancer

Asbestos Exposure: More than Asbestosis and Lung Cancer 

The health risk associated with asbestos exposure begins with the inhalation of asbestos fibers. If asbestos products are disturbed, tiny asbestos fibers are released into the air and surroundings. 

The second part of asbestos exposure health risks is the buildup of these tiny fibers. These fibers can cause scarring and inflammation of the lungs, which can lead to difficulty breathing, chest pain, and severe health problems, including asbestosis.

The exposed person may also be diagnosed with other diseases including pleural effusion, atelectasis, diffuse pleural thickening, and pleural plaques.

Who Is at Greatest Risk of Asbestos Exposure?

Asbestos exposure can occur through various occupations. Certain industries have put employees at particularly high risk. 

These industries include:

• Railroad Workers – Occupational asbestos exposure in railroad workers was fairly common due to railroads being the most common form of transportation between the 19th and 20th centuries. Railroad workers had frequent occupational asbestos exposure to materials such as gaskets, floor tiles, rope, brake clutches, and sealing cement.

• Miners – Miners were among the workers most exposed to asbestos and known to develop malignant pleural mesothelioma. They likely inhaled airborne asbestos fibers or asbestos particles in the mines. Considering that 15% of coal mines in the US contain asbestos, despite better regulations and work safety laws to protect miners, miners are still at risk of acquiring asbestos-related diseases.
• Electricians – According to a 2018 study, electricians are among the most likely people to develop an asbestos-related disease, with the most prominent occupational asbestos exposure caused by chrysotile or white asbestos. Exposure can come from construction, repairs, and materials used.
• Pipefitters – Pipefitters are workers who primarily work on pipe systems, often in commercial buildings or manufacturing facilities. Asbestos is resistant to corrosion and high temperatures, making it an ideal material for use in process piping. Historically, many pipes that had asbestos needed to be sanded down to meet project specifications. Sanding would release asbestos fibers into the air which causes occupational asbestos exposure.
• Boiler operators – Boilers with asbestos have been an industry staple in the last hundred years, and almost every person associated with boiler making between the 1920s and 1980s had contact with asbestos. As a result, hundreds of boilermakers are now diagnosed with mesothelioma, lung cancer, pleural plaques, and other asbestos diseases.
• Construction workers – Those in building and housing construction before 1990 are at a high risk of asbestos exposure due to the then-prevalent use of asbestos-containing tools and construction materials. Based on a 2018 International Journal of Epidemiology study, former construction workers are 500% more likely to develop mesothelioma and other asbestos diseases.
• Teachers – Some old schools that have cracks in their flooring or walls can expose asbestos fiber. Some teachers who were unfortunate enough to use asbestos materials in class (such as DAS paste) are also at high risk of major asbestos exposure.

• Industrial Workers – This category of industrial workers includes welders, millwrights, smelters, and molders. Sources of exposure include oil refining, metal ore extraction, and metal forging.
• Power plant workers – Asbestos products were the most used type of building material between 1950 and 1980. Anyone who worked at a power plant at the time likely had occupational asbestos exposure or was at least exposed to asbestos particles. Most power plants today still use old equipment and materials, which pose risks for current workers. Some common materials in power plants that contain asbestos include boilers, blocks, pipe coverings, blankets, and gaskets.
• Shipyard workers – Asbestos was once considered the best shipbuilding material due to being lightweight and fire-resistant. Workers in this industry built and maintained ships that regularly used asbestos, making all of these workers exposed to asbestos. Among all of the industries, it was shipyard workers who were exposed the most due to the closed nature of the ships they were working on. This means many of them were likely in closed spaces while installing asbestos products, inhaling large amounts of airborne asbestos fibers.
• Refinery workers – A study in the UK reported that over 28,000 oil refinery workers between 1951 and 2003 had malignant pleural mesothelioma as an occupational hazard. Exposure largely came from using asbestos-containing products including pipe covering, cement, rollboard, millboard, and asbestos paper.
• Sheet metal workers – These workers regularly use asbestos-containing materials as insulation. They are also often cutting and bending metals affixed to products made with asbestos.
• Automotive workers – Brake pads and clutches once used a lot of asbestos due to its fire-resistant nature. When vehicles were sent for repairs, mechanics often handled asbestos-containing parts with little protection, especially when grinding and beveling were involved. 

What Happens to the Body When Exposed to Asbestos? 

Asbestos fibers are harmful to the lungs if they are released into the air. The fibers break down into tiny particles that become airborne. If inhaled, they build up inside our lungs, which leads to inflammation and scarring. 

How do asbestos fibers break down and cause mitosis? 

Asbestos fibers start causing mesothelioma during respiratory tissue mitosis. Mitosis is when a single cell divides into two identical daughter cells, which is a normal biological process. Unfortunately, when asbestos fibers are present during mitosis, they interfere with DNA replication, a crucial step of mitosis. This creates a chain reaction that makes an otherwise healthy cell cancerous.

How does cancerous tissue develop into tumors?

If left untreated, the cancerous cells caused by asbestos fibers will grow and divide until they eventually form a tumor. A tumor may contain millions of cancer cells.

What is the latency period, and why does this exist? 

A latency period refers to the amount of time it takes between being exposed to a disease-causing substance until the symptom onset or discovery of the illness. The shortest latency period for asbestosis ranges from 5 to 10 years, though some cases take as long as 40 years. For cancer development, it typically takes 30-40 years.

What are the symptoms of asbestos exposure? 

The symptoms associated with asbestos exposure are also considered “common” symptoms of other respiratory diseases. This overlap of symptoms contributes to the difficulty in proper diagnosis and the delay of proper treatment. 

• Dry cough
• Shortness of breath
• Wheezing
• Pain or discomfort in the chest
• Unexplained weight loss

What kind of exposure leads to health risks?

• Amount of asbestos exposure: There is no safe level for asbestos exposure. When a person suspects they are exposed to asbestos in any way, shape, or form, they should have themselves checked by a health professional and begin professional asbestos abatement. Asbestos abatement ensures proper management and disposal of asbestos.
• Duration of the exposure: It is highly unlikely for anyone to develop an asbestos-related disease with just one exposure. The risk of asbestos exposure grows with time, so it’s critical to have the source of asbestos removed as soon as you become aware of it. 
• The chemical makeup of the asbestos: White asbestos (also known as chrysotile) is the most commonly used type of asbestos and was the last type to be banned. This is the type of asbestos that takes years before symptoms of asbestos exposure show up.

How Does Asbestos Exposure Happen?

According to the EPA, CDC, and OSHA, there are three methods of asbestos fiber exposure: inhalation, ingestion, and skin exposure. 

Inhalation 

Inhalation is the most common form of asbestos exposure. Asbestos fibers are so small and light that disturbing them slightly can send them flying to the air. Due to the size, the fibers can easily find their way inside your lungs and stay there.

Swallowing 

The risk factor associated with asbestos ingestion is rare, but not impossible. An example is when the asbestos used in piping contaminates drinking water. Some experts say swallowing asbestos can lead to peritoneal mesothelioma.

Touching

Asbestos exposure through skin contact is not that common. However, it may be inhaled from skin and clothes, so it is important to wash the skin and remove all asbestos-contaminated clothing.

What is Secondary Asbestos Exposure?

Secondary exposure is when you come into contact with a person who had direct asbestos exposure. This especially applies to family members of asbestos workers. 

Where Asbestos Exposure Occurs

Asbestos occurs in a wide variety of materials and products that have been used both professionally and by the public. 

Asbestos Products

Common asbestos products used today that may contain asbestos include:

• Textiles
• Roofing
• Brake linings
• Marine Insulation
• Cement pipes
• Gaskets
• Backing for vinyl sheets
• Clutch facings
• Asphalt compounds
• Drilling mud additives
• Caulking compounds

The most dangerous aspect of asbestos is that it can take decades before patients realize their bodies have been damaged by asbestos exposure. The risk of exposure grows with time. The longer it takes to diagnose, the worse the health effects of asbestos exposure becomes.

The Military and Risk of Asbestos Exposure 

Air Force: Asbestos products were used extensively in floors, ceilings, pipes, wall insulation, drywall, and other areas of Air Force base housing. It was also used in aircraft for fire resistance and insulation. 

Army: Base housing is the most common source of asbestos exposure in the military, similar to the Air Force. Brakes, gaskets, and valves were also common asbestos sources, which are found in Army vehicles.

Navy and Marines: Asbestos materials were found all over ships. They were used to insulate boilers, turbines, pumps, pipes, and other heat-sensitive areas. Even the sleeping quarters used asbestos. The Navy had a high level of exposure to the mineral due to the isolated and enclosed nature of ships. Those who worked in shipyards were also at risk as they handled asbestos materials every day. 

Coast Guard: Boats, planes, and other equipment used asbestos materials. Those who worked on land also exposed themselves if they were shipyard workers, pipefitters, or electricians.

Environmental asbestos exposure

Besides occupational asbestos exposure, communities can experience asbestos exposure within their environment. How does environmental asbestos exposure occur?

• Para-occupational exposure or when asbestos workers serve as a medium for fiber transporting.
• Environmental exposure from industrial operations. 
• Naturally occurring asbestos.

Historical Cases of Environmental Asbestos Exposure

• Environmental Asbestos Exposure and Mesothelioma Cases in Bari, Apulia region, Southern Italy – This is a report on three cases of pleural malignant mesothelioma caused by the proximity of an asbestos cement factory to the patients.
• A 26-Year-Old Male with Mesothelioma Due to asbestos exposure – A man was diagnosed with mesothelioma at 26 years old and points to asbestos exposure during his primary school years (6 – 12 years old) as the root cause.
• In a 1967 uncontrolled study of 42 cases of mesothelioma in Pennsylvania, two patients lived close to asbestos plants and six others had worked next to an asbestos plant.

9/11 Asbestos Exposure 

The aftermath of 9/11 saw 3,000 lives lost, and 2,000 more due to 9/11-related health problems. Not just the first responders in New York, but also some of their family members suffered the health effects of asbestos. The risk of exposure is high if you also reside in or near New York City. 

It is estimated that 12.5% of the people exposed to ground-zero emissions were diagnosed with cancer. It should also be noted that not all the first responders wore the proper protective equipment to help protect against environmental risk factors.

The Natural Resources Defense Council estimates that 300 to 400 tons of asbestos fibers were used to construct the World Trade Center. This puts first responders at a high risk of acquiring asbestos-related illnesses such as lung cancer.

In 2002, Dr. David Prezant coined the term “World Trade Center cough” after 9/11 firefighters started to develop chronic respiratory illnesses.

Laws Enacted to Protect Against Asbestos Exposure

In the United States, the number of people who were exposed to asbestos is so large because it was not until 1970 that the government began to create laws to protect the public against asbestos exposure and cancer risk. These laws finally began forty years after the first case of Asbestosis was noted in the United Kingdom.

• The Clean Air Act of 1970 classified asbestos as a hazardous air pollutant. This also gave the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) authority to regulate both asbestos use and disposal. 
• The Toxic Substance Control provided by the EPA in 1976 was enacted to put restrictions on harmful chemicals like asbestos.
• The Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act of 1986 was enacted to help remove asbestos in schools.
• The EPA issued a full ban on the manufacturing, processing, sales, and importation of asbestos products in July 1989 under the Asbestos Ban and Phase-Out Rule. The court said the ban can work on all products except brake pads, gaskets, fireproof clothing, and roofing materials.
• An attempt was made to ban all asbestos in the US in the form of the Ban Asbestos in America Act in 2002. This would be known as the Murray Bill filed by Senator Patty Murray. It was never passed.

Asbestos is not completely banned in the U.S.; mining has stopped, but importation continues. Now, the U.S. has tighter regulations and more stringent processes, but the risk of asbestos exposure still exists.

Exposure & Mesothelioma for US Navy Veterans 

Why does the Navy have so many incidences of asbestos in its past?

Asbestos was the ideal material for construction and insulation. Asbestos products were used to insulate turbines, pumps, pipes, boilers, and other parts of the ship that were heat-sensitive. The sleeping quarters also made use of asbestos products. The elevated use of asbestos, in combination with the enclosed nature of ships, resulted in asbestos fiber circulation. Many of those who worked on ships likely inhaled asbestos fibers while they ate or slept.

What benefits and/or aid might Navy veterans be entitled to as a result of their asbestos exposure? 

Veterans are eligible for disability benefits if they have a disease or health condition that they think was caused by their long-term exposure to asbestos products. 

What are some of the obligations of employers when it comes to providing an asbestos-free work environment?

Worker’s compensation laws can cover anything from a broken finger or a terminal case of lung cancer or mesothelioma due to asbestos exposure, so long as the injury or disease happened because of the occupation.

Employers are required to obtain a license that certifies the company meets all requirements regarding asbestos handling and safety, especially for companies that regularly work with asbestos products. 

Where can Navy veterans who are mesothelioma patients turn for help?

As a veteran of the U.S. Navy, these patients have access to the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs medical care centers. These health centers include a few centers that specialize in mesothelioma, including the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System and the VA Boston Healthcare System. These centers offer experts in surgical, radiation, and medical oncology services for mesothelioma patients.

You can contact your local VA medical center for referrals to these specialized centers and for assistance in arranging travel, treatment, and housing. You can find a local VA medical center through the VA website.

Common Questions About Asbestos Exposure