Asbestos Building Risks

Where can you find asbestos in buildings, what are the risks, and what can you do about it?

The risks of asbestos exposure from students and staff in old schools and public buildings is a real one as many school buildings are known to contain these toxic substances. Old vinyl floor coverings containing asbestos should be removed from buildings and from schools due to the health dangers.

In my own professional experience in my town, and in other towns across the world Asbestos can be found in many old buildings, mostly in roofs, kitchens, walls and floor coverings.

Exposure to asbestos can cause serious health problems, and is associated with mesothelioma and asbestosis. These respiratory diseases are caused by inhaling asbestos fibres. The biggest risks come from those exposed the longest amount of time to the substance. 75% of those diagnosed with mesothelioma die within 1 year. To reduce the risks it is most important to reduce exposure, and have exposed asbestos removed immediately.

Some important tips we have learnt over the years are firstly:

If you have worked in the building industry you should see a doctor regularly for health checks and mention you may have been exposed to asbestos. Secondly, if you suffer from any of the symptoms such as constant coughing, shortness of breath, or blood in your mucus, contact a doctor immediately.

Medical symptoms may not be asbestos related, but the sooner you consult a doctor, the more chance you have of identifying the illness. Even if not ill, if you have any suspicion your building or property contains fibrous suspect material you should contact a licenced professional. What should you look for to identify the hazard? If the building was constructed any time in the 1940's to 1980's there is a likelihood it may contain fire retardant dust containing asbestos.

What can you do to identify the risks in your local buildings or property? Some cities have investigated, including setting up features such as an official Schools Asbestos Register, a report to see which schools are effected by Asbestos. This can be helpful to parents and students, and when applied in Sydney, Parramatta, Bondi and Bankstown it was successfully used to show some state schools still had the floor coverings containing the toxic building material asbestos.

Old vinyl floors are a feature of many local schools. Originally used for their fire proofing qualities for several decades in the building industry, only now is a lot of asbestos being discovered in buildings during demolition, and can have very great health dangers with exposure, especially during removal.

A common attitude shared is that the floor coverings are a remnant of the past, and once the flooring is damaged, it is increasing the risk of asbestos being released.

Current scientific and medical evidence has shown it is safe to be in a building that contains asbestos, so long as it is not damaged or disturbed. That is a big risk if you ask me. General building degradation, lack of reporting and documentation of actual exposure, earthquakes, accidents, purposeful destruction could all cause the building to breach the safe levels according to your local state building code, such as the one we follow in Sydney and New South Wales.

There are no excuses for asbestos backed flooring to still be present in our school buildings.

A register made public by your local state government can be used to list confirmed and presumed cases of asbestos in schools. Personally I think it is a great idea, and you may wish to lobby your council for the same. We now have rigorous processes in place to manage asbestos in our schools and these registers will help inform parents, staff and the public about what is being done in their local area.

Too often the response of some people had been to simply tape over ripped floor coverings.

A permanent fix is need to treat this problem of the removal and safe replacement of the floor covering. Now that asbestos roofs have finally started to be replaced, buildings and those conduction demolition need to make a concerted effort to eliminate asbestos backed vinyl floor covering, an issue that does not get enough attention, but poses a real health risk.

It is important that we complete the job of removing and replacing all floor coverings containing asbestos in Sydney and the rest of the country, and in other countries, to make our buildings, schools and public spaces safe for children and all residents.

The safety of children and their teachers is paramount, so this job must be a priority.

If your city does not have a fee state schools asbestos register available online from the government we suggest all Australians (and those abroad) to lobby their local representative to put such measures in place.

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Peritoneal Mesothelioma and the Risks of Asbestos Exposure

Are Your At Risk? - Asbestos Related Disease

Asbestos related disease is responsible for 30 deaths per day, or 10,000 deaths per year. Asbestos diseases kill thousands more people than other types of cancers that get much more attention from the government and pharmaceutical companies. In addition, all asbestos exposed individuals should discuss smoking cessation efforts with their physicians as smoking can compound the effects of asbestos, increasing the risk of developing an asbestos related disease . Smokers have a significantly higher risk of contracting an asbestos related disease than non-smokers.

As many as 1 in 100 men over the age of 40 in this country will develop a malignant asbestos related disease, as well as an increasing number of women. Therefore, even workers who did not work directly with asbestos, but worked within the "breathing zone " of its use or removal run the risk of developing an asbestos related disease. However the most prevalent asbestos related disease is benign pleural disease.

Its hard to deny the health risks of exposure to loose asbestos fibres have been observed in Europe and somewhere else for a significantly long time. Frequently a long time period elapses between exposure to the poison and diagnosis of a related sickness. Often , as in the case of cancer, many decades may pass before the disease would appear.

Asbestos Exposure Risks

Asbestos related illnesses usually affect folk who worked for long times of time in professions where asbestos was used, and their families ( due to secondary asbestos exposure ). Potential mesothelioma asbestos exposure can also happen at colleges, houses and public buildings if asbestos products have fallen into disrepair or become damaged. Even some unpaved roads might be covered with asbestos containing serpentine.

A variety of job sites, ranging from shipyards to chemical and power plants to oil refineries, bear a history of asbestos exposure. If you think you've been exposed to asbestos and have developed mesothelioma you should seek mesothelioma law firms for more information on how you can receive compensation.

Public awareness about the superiority of asbestos-related illness and the perils of asbestos exposure should be better documented. There should be a re-emphasis on the necessity to reduce health hazards for men and girls who may be exposed occupationally to asbestos.

The sicknesses due to asbestos don't appear till fifteen to forty years after your first exposure. This is named the "latency period." Even if you feel healthy whilst you are working with asbestos, you may get sick several years after. Asbestos related illness exposure remains a major source of illness. However, millions of Americans who have recently been exposed to asbestos will continue to suffer from its effects.

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Asbestos, the first inconvenient truth? A history of asbestos and the associated health risks

Many people are surprised to learn, especially in the context of our modern understanding of its toxic and harmful properties that asbestos is a naturally occurring and extremely useful mineral and no material from human made. But even more amazing is that the toxicity and potentially harmful nature of asbestos has been realised thousands of years ago!
Asbestos was mined from the ground and over 3000 years! As in more recent times, it was the ancient civilisations who first used it many uses. The Greeks, Egyptians, Persians and Romans asbestos used for various purposes including Candle Wicks, clothing, building materials, insulation and the heat and flame retardants. Due to these latter properties the word asbestos itself derives from the Greek term for indelible and the Greeks it described these properties as the miracle or magic mineral in recognition.
The use of asbestos is to, thought by many to be a modern practice, but not unique. However, is the manifestation of serious health issues relating to the use of asbestos a modern phenomenon surely? The answer must again, unfortunately, in the negative will be transferred. Because while the huge benefits of asbestos of antiquity, they also realized that workers (mostly slaves), which for the asbestos mineral from the soil removed and items that were manufactured with asbestos develop lung diseases. A Roman observers of the time is also for the protection of workers against the inhalation of asbestos fibres from deployment and the use of a form of early dust mask.
Went back to the use of asbestos in the middle ages. While there was a huge increase in the use of asbestos to the industrial revolution more than at any time is above. It was now set on a still wider range of applications including insulation for pipes and boilers, steam locomotives, brake and clutch linings, fire doors, etc, that were used in almost endless thanks to its "magical" properties. These and many other ways for many years until a decline in health risks using its use in the 1970s after increasing pressure not to due to the, by then, more frequently known served millions and millions of tonnes of asbestos. But millions of workers had suspended at this time the damaging fibres. In addition to the miners and workers who have been directly in the asbestos industry and her family, the proximity to the works lived also exposed. It is shocking that would often make the workers home after work looking for asbestos dust covered "Snowmen" and disclose their often very young families to it. This led members of the family, the development of the same species often very serious asbestos diseases as the workers developed.
Like the old ones before them, the Victorians began to realize, or at least rediscover the very hazardous nature of asbestos fibres and the risk to health from asbestos disease. In 1898 the annual report of the Chief Inspector of factories and workshops of the Government reported ' appointed by all dusty, especially under observation in 1898 came three... stand out due to its easily proven medically attributed the employment risk to the health of workers, and because of the identified cases of injury of bronchus and lungs of the sick. These professions were asbestos spinning and roll.... The evil effects of asbestos dust have also attracted my attention, a microscopic examination of this mineral dust from HM medical inspector was revealed the impact were clearly sharp glass-like serrated nature of particles and where they go and remain suspended in the air of a room are allowed in any quantity, found damaging as expected could be.... The employee may continue for a very long time before the symptoms of evil are marked.' There were many more reports to follow research documents and changes in legislation to prioritize the risks of asbestos disease for the Government(s) and the employers even despite this growing number of prove it took nearly a further century an invitation ban implemented the use of asbestos! In the meantime, millions of workers were exposed to be rich seed of a health crisis now felt by thousands of these workers, the asbestos-related diseases as a result, have developed. These diseases include malignant mesothelioma asbestos lung cancer, asbestosis, pleural thickening and pleural plaques.
Unfortunately use increased at the same time actually very little action of asbestos until the 1970s, and despite the changes in the legislation for the protection of workers in fact to do so from employers despite all evidence of the risks of asbestos disease. What is even more regrettable is that the historical record shows that employers are exposing their workers to asbestos continue to knowledge about the risks of asbestos disease become full and conspired, to hide this information from the workers themselves, who have not been cases in most of the risks or fully aware of the risks and how she could protect themselves from these risks! Simple steps could by the employers to want some protection in the form of masks, breathing apparatus, etc. taken employees and you.
Unfortunately, the historical records that big business and the pursuit of receive large profits in the proper warnings and protection, the workers available which shows. In pursuit of the prize of this big profits, company hidden asbestos the inconvenient truth that asbestos is a potential killer from which the most vulnerable and at risk. This is a hard fact is suffering from asbestos disease have, if they learn to swallow this coverage. It should be recalled that there no cure for the known as mesothelioma asbestos disease and suffering live following may only 9 to 12 months of diagnosis. It is a serious and frightening State.

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Asbestos-building risks

Where to find asbestos in buildings, what are the risks and what you can do about it?
The risks of asbestos exposure of students and staff in old schools and public buildings is a real threat, how many school building is known, that they contain toxic substances. Old vinyl flooring, which should contain asbestos from buildings and be removed from schools due to the health hazards.
Asbestos in many old buildings, particularly in roofs, kitchens, walls and floor coverings, see my own professional experience in my city, and in other cities around the world.
Exposure to asbestos can serious health problems cause and is associated with mesothelioma and asbestosis. These respiratory diseases are caused by the inhalation of asbestos fibres. The main risks come from this exposed the longest amount of time to the substance. the diagnosed mesothelioma die 75% within 1 year. To reduce the risks it is most important, to reduce, which have removed immediately exposed asbestos.
Some important tips that we have learned over the years are primarily:
If you have worked, the construction industry, you should see a doctor regularly for health checks and mention you were exposed to have. Secondly, if you have symptoms like constant coughing, shortness of breath breath or blood in your phlegm, suffering you a doctor immediately.
Medical symptoms might not asbestos related, but the earlier you consult a doctor, the more likely have to identify the disease. Even if not ill have suspicion your building or property contains suspicious fibrous materials, please contact a licensed professional. What should you look to identify the risk? When the building at any time in was built it is the 1940s it inhibits fire until 1980s probably dust that may contain asbestos.
What can you do to identify the risks in your local building or property? Some cities have looked at including the setting up of features such as official schools asbestos register one, to see a report, which schools are effected by asbestos. This can be useful, parents and students, and when applied in Sydney, Bankstown, Parramatta and Bondi it is used successfully, to some State schools show or building material contains asbestos flooring, the toxic.
Old vinyl flooring are a feature of many local schools. Originally only a lot of asbestos in buildings is now used for their fire proof qualities in the construction industry for several decades, as demolition are discovered, and can, exposed to huge health risks, have especially during removal.
A common line is divided, that the floor coverings are a remnant of the past, and as soon as the flooring is damaged, it will increase the risk of asbestos released.
Current scientific and medical evidence has shown it of sure to be in a building that contains asbestos, as long as it is not damaged or disturbed. This is a great risk if you ask me. General construction degradation, missing coverage and documentation of the actual exposure, earthquakes, accidents, targeted destruction of all the circumstances the building to the safe levels hurt by your local State building code, for example, that we in Sydney and new South Wales to follow.
There are no excuses for asbestos secured flooring in our school building still exist.
A register of your local State Government made public can be used, lists confirmed and suspected cases of asbestos in schools. I personally think it's a great idea, and maybe you want your Council for the same lobby. We have now strict procedures for the management of asbestos in our schools and this register helps to inform employees and the public, parents, about what in their region is being done.
All too often the reaction was of some people who simply have ribbed floor coverings band have been.
A lasting solution is this issue of the removal and the flooring must handle safe replacement. Now, that asbestos be replaced roofs finally have started building and heat conduction must outline a concerted asbestos secured floor covering of vinyl, to resolve a problem, to get that not enough attention, but is a real health risk.
It is important that we work by removing and exchanging all floor coverings containing asbestos in Sydney and the rest of the country, and in other countries, to our buildings, schools and public spaces for children and all people to complete.
The safety of children and their teachers is crucial, so this order must be a priority.
If your city is a fee State schools asbestos register available online by the Government not we all recommend Australians (and abroad), introduce lobby their local representative of such measures.

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Health risks from asbestos exposure

Asbestos is a group of minerals that can be separated into long, thin fibers. These fibers can be are very strong and woven, or spun. Asbestos is due to its durability and the ability to resist in many industrial products heat uses. In fact, asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that is found on every continent of the world. Although most people believe that asbestos in the United States has been banned, it is not true. There are two main types of asbestos, amphibole and chrysotile.
Amphibole asbestos turned out in the lungs that stay longer. Can be found in places such as mines and mills in the form of tremolite. Tremolite asbestos can air those put that lives in nearby mills and mines are a higher risk for the development of asbestos of related diseases. Amphibole asbestos is also used in building materials and insulation. Asbestos in insulation used and only a risk provides building materials when it is disturbed, which the fibres in the air are released.
Chrysotile is the most common form of asbestos and the type was detected, after reducing the World Trade Center on September 11. Studies have shown that it was released in significant quantities, which would lead to health problems. Chrysotile is used in the manufacture of chrysotile-cement, which is used to make pipes and shingles.
Special methods such as microscopy, electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray analysis are necessary such as light, measure the amount of asbestos in the air. The typical asbestos in the air is 0.00001-0.0001 fibers per millilitre. Levels higher than this are known to health problems cause in humans.
Asbestos fibres, which give the lungs stay for a long time due to its toughness and can cause serious health problems. Inhaled asbestos fiber can not be removed from the lungs. The risk of lung cancer, mesothelioma, and Adviser of lung and pleural disorders, including asbestosis, pleural plaques, pleural thickening and Pleural effusions performance boost, exposure to asbestos.
The longer it is asbestos, the greater the risk of developing at least one of these conditions is exposed to. Most cases of asbestos-related health problems develop as much as 30 years after exposure not at least 15 years after the first exposure but developed. The connection between stomach intestine colorectal also investigated tumors in workers who are exposed to asbestos and seems to increase their risk.

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Asbestos - health risks

In this second article of a series, we will cover the health risks associated with exposure to asbestos.
Exposure to asbestos can cause that a number of health problems including, lung cancer, mesothelioma, asbestosis, and other types of cancer.
Asbestosis is a chronic lung affected, can produce shortness of breath, breath, cough and even permanent lung damage.
Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer of the thin membranes, the chest and abdomen. While very rarely is it also very serious.
The people at risk for these diseases are all that was exposed to at some point of their lives to asbestos. However, most people to asbestos are not sick. Only those who constantly usually exposed to develop symptoms for a long time. Most of these people are usually those who have a job, you work with need or to asbestos in the course of the day.
Since the early 1940's millions of people exposed to asbestos. Those were the first workers signs of asbestos of related health problems, in the shipbuilding industry, mining asbestos and milling, the manufacture of asbestos textiles, insulation work, demolition workers, drywall workers and firefighters worked. Today improved labour practices and regulations present danger asbestos in these industries less likely.
Although it is generally assumed that most seriously sick people from asbestos are those who have suffered from long-term exposure, there are cases of those who have had only brief exposure, which are also ill. The problem is asbestos exposure related diseases can take from 10 to 40 years to show. As a child in school at the age of 13 can develop no symptoms not made, until he or she has passed at age 50 years.
There is also some evidence that suggests that family members of those who work in asbestos related fields with asbestos related diseases due to the asbestos fibres can descend marketed shoes and clothes in the House of the workers. This type of exposure is called Paraoccupational exposure. To reduce risk, should the workers exposed to the asbestos are around this wash their clothes and change, before you get to come home. It is also recommended that you first as shower.
How big is the risk? Not all workers exposed to asbestos, develop health problems. It has to do with the type of exposure. Asbestos, the encased and break into the atmosphere likely to not apart is presented less a threat than asbestos which is not included. Furthermore, the general health of workers in the game comes as well. A worker, which already has with related health or whoever smokes is more likely to suffer from asbestos related disease. Also, the type must the asbestos, which the worker is exposed to a large effect on the health of workers. Some forms of asbestos are more dangerous than others, depending on the concentration and the duration of exposure.
In our last article of this series, we are about how go you can determine whether you related health problem could have an asbestos and if yes, what you do, however.

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Experts do breast cancer risks as unproven

A sensation Sheryl Crow on national television, that it gives the women not bottled water, said a doctor was stayed by the recent statement that in a car, drink, because the heat leak causes toxins from the plastic into the water. She also said that the doctor told her that the chemicals in breast tissue have been found and these chemicals can lead to breast cancer.

Article on the Internet on the websites of the organizations, which previously had addressed this concern, including Breastcancer.org and Plasticsmythbusters.org, which is a member of the American Chemistry Council referenced. Both organizations as the connection between breast cancer risk "an urban myth" and plastic water bottles and say that the theory is unproven.

The fact that a direct causal connection do not have a trace of doubt is proven does not mean that the theory is a myth.

It has been proven that phthalates, the connections are as plasticizers used and plasticizer for polyvinyl chloride (PVC) products speed up breast cell growth in animal studies. These chemicals have also found were the reproductive and endocrine system, affecting in particular in baby boys. In a recent study were linked before recently phthalates to low testosterone levels, which appears to cause increased abdominal fat and pre-diabetes in men.

These phthalates and softeners are in a variety of consumer and personal care products including food packaging, toys, and medical and pharmaceutical devices and drugs used. DEHP is the most commonly used phthalate. Food contamination has been found in any case, if plastic food packaging are made of PVC, which dealt with phthalates.
As a general rule we should not cook or heat food in most plastics. This restriction applies in particular to old plastic containers, in which the surface erosion is the concern is based on the fact that softeners in heating function are released. Not all plastic containers are microwaveable. Search for directions regarding this on the packaging.

According to a panel doctor to Breastcancer.org scientists make sure that while animal studies you not contaminate experiments with plastics with old plastic devices that have been used and washed many times. Do you not think you should be a little more concern about contaminating your body?
It is possible that water reach the temperature where links in the car, almost the boiling point may be similar concern. It may not be an incident of drinking from a heated plastic bottle, which leads to increased cancer risk brings, but a collection of multiple risky behaviors, or only in the context of plastic exposure can promote cancer.

We do not know definitively all the causes of cancer, but we are so many possible agents that can contribute to cancer, and some of you are exposed to naturally occurring caused, are some of the people that it never sufficient human epidemiological studies or data, that prove or disprove these "myths". Some of these agents can not directly cause cancer alone, but you can cause that direct damage to genes or to interfere with the immune system or affect the hormone balance in a way to create a fertile environment for cancer cells to grow.

It is another one of these "myths" that have distributed on the Internet for several years with underarm deodorants or antiperspirants containing parabens can cause breast cancer. And the consensus among scientists is, there is no link between antiperspirants and breast cancer.

Nevertheless, researchers found six different types of parabens in breast cancer tissue samples from women treated for breast cancer. All of the examples contain some parabens. The amount of parabens in the examples was about equal to the amount of breast cancer cells grow in test tubes in previous studies had caused.

The researchers concluded that these chemicals breast tissue from external sources and gather in levels high enough to trigger the growth of breast cancer cells. Parabens are also to the food to keep drugs and cosmetics. There are so many ways for the exposure to these chemicals.

A further contribution to the breast cancer has been recently reported in the journal of National Cancer Institute. Cadmium, a toxic heavy metal that can build up in the course of time in the body was linked to increased breast cancer risk.

The researchers measured levels of cadmium in urine samples by a group of women and found that women with the highest cadmium twice the breast cancer risk of those who had the lowest.
People can be exposed to cadmium of tobacco smoke and some foods such as liver, kidney, canned fish and crustaceans (lobsters, crabs and shrimp). People who work with cadmium or refining and smelting made also available, but the Government restricts this exposure in the workplace.
But once again, we have the usual Disclaimer: "the study does not prove cadmium exposure causes that breast cancer." "It will take more research to find out."

Abundant animal studies, much less human epidemiological data that prove or disprove, finally, that a particular product or chemicals cause breast cancer in humans, there will never be. I think it is advisable to avoid suspicious materials. It is usually sufficient data, regardless of whether a substance is a risk that harmful to your health and may help to include breast cancer.

Many of these suspicious chemicals concern not only breast-cancer risk; They are often harmful for the cardio vascular system and overall health.

Enforce consumer reaction which is should arise, if the available data have been widely publicised could consumer product manufacturers and food packagers search for alternatives.

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