Asbestos: The Hidden Killer

A CAMPAIGN has been launched to warn workers of the dangers of asbestos as figures show it killed almost 1,300 people in the South over the last quarter of a century.

Safety campaigners argue that “Britain’s biggest workplace killer”, which led to the shocking death toll between 1981 and 2005, could strike a new generation of workers unless the building trade gets to grips with the hazardous substance.

Asbestos was widely used as an insulating material until the 1970s but can trigger mesothelioma, a rare form of lung cancer, often years later.

Figures from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) show a total of 1,295 men in the south died from mesothelioma over the 24-year period – including 867 in the Hampshire County Council area, 259 in Southampton, 135 on the Isle of Wight and 34 in Salisbury.

The HSE yesterday launched a £1.2m, month-long campaign to warn Britain’s 1.8 million tradesmen about the dangers they face.

Asbestos: The Hidden Killer runs throughout November and will see more than 500,000 information packs sent out, as well as targeted adverts.

The campaign, backed by trade unions, charities and victim support groups, aims to educate workers about the danger asbestos still presents. Although many believe asbestos is a historical problem and they are not at risk, in fact the substance may be present in any building constructed or refurbished before 2000, and it is estimated that about 500,000 workplace premises could contain asbestos.

If repair and maintenance work is not done safely it can lead to asbestos fibres being released into the air by drilling or cutting, and workers breathing them in.

Former tradesman Stan Thomas, 71, of Totton, one of Hampshire’s longest survivors of mesothelioma, has told his story for the HSE’s campaign.

He said: “I can’t change the past but if I can stop just one person getting what I have got, it is a winner.”

The father-of-two and grandfather-of-one worked as a heating engineer for 38 years and when he collapsed in December 2005 – four years after retirement – doctors told him he was dying.

Most people are given six to 12 months to live. He has made it into his fourth year.

Now, Stan and his wife Rita have had to adapt to a new life and, as an active member of the Hampshire Asbestos Support and Awareness Group, he hopes to save lives.

He said: “It is all about raising awareness asbestos might be present in any building built or refurbished before the year 2000.

Workers need to be aware that it comes in so many different forms and it can be easily missed.

“My advice is simple – be very wary and look for asbestos and if you do see it get advice. Simply, don’t go near it!

Stan said you only need to remove a screw from an asbestos panel to release a fibre and said just one fibre is enough to kill you. He said: “Irrespective of what others say about the low risk of asbestos, there is no low risk about it.”

This article is from www.thisishampshire.net

Asbestos and Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is a cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. Patients with mesothelioma suffer from malignant cells proliferating in the mesothelium, a type of protective tissue that encases our bodies vital organs. The cancer’s attack on the mesothelium wreaks havoc in the patient’s body, causing tumors, swelling, the accumulation of fluid in the chest and abdominal cavities, inflammation, and a general breakdown of many organ systems. Sadly, mesothelioma has a poor prognosis; most cases are very difficult to treat effectively and almost all cases are terminal.

The substance that causes mesothelioma, asbestos, was used in a variety of industries until the mid 1980’s. Its continued use after the discovery was made of its ill effects in the 1930’s has been a widespread cause for legal action in the United States and the rest of the Western world. Asbestos is incredibly dangerous, and while OSHA does define standards for maximum levels of asbestos in the workplace, Britain’s HSE (Health and Safety Executive) maintains that there’s no safety threshold for asbestos, that is, any amount of the substance should be considered dangerous.

The cancer cannot be diagnosed by its symptoms alone; it must be diagnosed either by a chest X-ray or by a tissue sample also known as a biopsy. Symptoms of mesothelioma have been described as flu like and include shortness of breath, coughing or wheezing, chest pain, weight loss, fatigue, weakness and yellowing of the eyes and skin. If you or someone in your family has been exposed to asbestos in the workplace you may be legally entitled to some compensation.

This article is from www.mesothelioma.net

Second Hand Asbestos Exposure Causes Mesothelioma in Women

A woman who had never been directly exposed to asbestos, but who may have come into contact with it in her own home, has died from the asbestos cancer mesothelioma. Linda Sinnett, 58, was diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer which affects the membrane that lines and protects the abdominal cavity.

Most cases of mesothelioma affect the lungs and chest cavity, but all forms of the cancer can usually be traced back to exposure to asbestos, a fibrous mineral which has frequently been incorporated into building materials and insulation products. Most cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed in individuals who have suffered this exposure at the workplace, but it’s also been known to occur in their loved ones as well, as a result of secondhand exposure.

When the microscopic asbestos fibers are disturbed, they become airborne and can be either inhaled or ingested. They can also cling to clothing, hair and other material, meaning that they can be transported from one location to another. Sinnett’s family assumes that she ingested the asbestos fibers after her father, Ronald, who was a carpenter for the Great Western Railway Works, brought asbestos home on his overalls. The laundry room where Sinnett’s mother would wash the overalls and other clothes was adjacent to the kitchen, and so it’s believed that the fibers contaminated the food and food preparation areas.

Sinnett was survived by a husband, John, 57, and their daughter Kerry Mills, 38.

Asbestos is no longer used as extensively as it once was, although it does remain in use in some limited capacities. It is also still in place in a number of older buildings and structures, so it continues to pose a hazard to anyone who works with or around the material without using the proper safety gear, such as protective clothing and respirators.

Mesothelioma is an unusual disease in that it can take decades to fully manifest and become symptomatic. Even then, the symptoms often resemble those of more common respiratory ailments, and are therefore often ignored or misdiagnosed. By the time an accurate diagnosis is made, the mesothelioma has progressed to a late stage and is usually inoperable.

Although radiation and chemotherapy can be given to reduce symptoms and alleviate pain, most patients who are diagnosed with mesothelioma have a life expectancy of less than two years.

SOURCE