It might sound bad but it is a reality that you can suffer serious health problems when you have been exposed to asbestos. With data showing 39,000 lives lost every year due to asbestos caused diseases in the United States alone, has made this a very common problem.
Here we will briefly summarize the different health risks you could possibly have when you are exposed to asbestos, and hopefully you would know what to do to take care of your health.
The first health risk is mesothelioma, a rare form of lung cancer. It is in the membrane covering the lungs and chest cavity, can spread too in the membrane of the abdominal cavity plus in the lining of the other internal organs that this disease happens.
The next health risk is lung cancer, a very common outcome due to the exposure of asbestos. When you are exposed to any construction work, or you are exposed to deteriorating asbestos products, your risk of lung cancer becomes greater.
Know that dangerous fibers are coming in when you breathe asbestos, and these fibers would cause scarring on your lungs leading to the next health risk called asbestosis. Carbon dioxide and oxygen are harder to pass through your lungs when they are scarred, thus your breathing becomes harder. People who are working much of their lives in demolition or construction environment have this disease as more common in them to have.
Another disease when being exposed to asbestos is pleural disease, which may not be cancerous but can change the membrane around the lungs and chest cavity. There is a thickening of membrane and fluid buildup if you have this disease, which in serious cases will lead to a lower lung capacity and will not allow you to perform physical activities.
Next is the immune changes caused by asbestos exposure, which for now experts do not know much about these types of changes. Exposure to asbestos have shown in studies to have a link in a lower immune function. These signs of lower immune function is clearly observed especially if the person does not project any other disease.
A person is advised then not to take it for granted when being exposed to asbestos as these mentioned health risks could happen. It is not enough to know these health risks especially it takes years before you will see signs of these mentioned diseases. A person is advised, that if it is possible to remove any exposure to asbestos to do it so that the chances of getting sick in the future is being reduced, and if feeling to have the disease to contact someone who can fix the problem.