| When a substance with asbestos content is disturbed | | | | *Abdominal Mass |
| or broken down, its fibers are discharged and remain | | | | *Abdominal swelling or pains |
| suspended in the air. Anybody that breathes these | | | | *Anemia |
| fibers in may experience asbestos poisoning. | | | | *Fatigue |
| Asbestos fibers are very fine, almost 1200 times finer | | | | *Loss of Weight |
| than human hair. So even when there is already a | | | | *Pain in the chest wall and below the rib cage |
| very large quantity of asbestos fibers in the air, they | | | | *Pleural effusion (or fluid buildup in the lungs) |
| are hardly noticeable. A lot of individuals have breathed | | | | *Severe coughing |
| in asbestos fibers daily, sometimes for years, without | | | | *Shortness of breath |
| even being aware of it. | | | | Identifying Products and Materials that Contain |
| Fatal Diseases Caused by Asbestos Poisoning | | | | Asbestos |
| Serious, even life-threatening conditions can happen as | | | | From 1976, British companies that manufacture |
| a result of asbestos poisoning. Some of these are: | | | | asbestos-containing materials put labels on them to |
| *Asbestosis - a scarring of the lung tissue which can | | | | indicate asbestos content. |
| be fatal; the disease severely hinders the patient from | | | | The product manufacturer or supplier should be able to |
| breathing. | | | | tell you if there is asbestos content. Most often, homes |
| *Lung Cancers - may be small cell or non-small cell | | | | that were built at around the same time have similar |
| lung cancer | | | | materials. Your neighbors may be able to tell if |
| *Mesothelioma - malignant cancer of the pericardium | | | | asbestos surveys have been done and what are the |
| or mesothelium (tissues within the cavity) | | | | results of these surveys. |
| *Damage of the Immune System | | | | You may also seek assistance from your local |
| *Pulmonary hypertension | | | | Environment Health Council to identify |
| *Other damages in the digestive and respiratory | | | | asbestos-containing products in your home. They may |
| systems | | | | also be the right persons to ask if surveys have been |
| Symptoms of Asbestos Poisoning | | | | made in your area. |
| When a disease occurred due to asbestos poisoning, | | | | If in doubt, ask for assistance or seek advice. |
| the symptoms normally exhibit decades after the | | | | Remember, products with asbestos content mar |
| mineral fibers have been inhaled, generally ten to forty | | | | appear similar to those that do not contain it; it is very |
| years later. Symptoms may be any of the following: | | | | hard to tell them apart. |