Mesothelioma and General Health

- Experts predict an increase of respiratory diseases related to asbestos in the coming years, given the prolonged latency of the mineral, up to 20 years, hence the importance of regular health examinations for workers who have been exposed to act on factors such as smoking that can aggravate these diseases

- There is a considerable percentage of occupational respiratory diseases undiagnosed, so that in most cases the occupational respiratory disease is detected at the level of specialized care health services.

- Declared health interest by the Government of Navarra and organized by the Group Erol and the Department of Pneumology of the Hospital Virgen del Camino, the course will include a talk addressed to the general public under Asbestos, Dangerous Neighbor.

Asbestos is among the most important human carcinogen. Overall, it is thought that Spain is the most important occupational carcinogen. Among all agents potentially toxic to the lung is that very important, having referred figures of up to 20% of lung cancer deaths in some populations at risk. Thus, in studies conducted in other countries, like Spain, occupations involving exposure to asbestos (construction, workshops, shipyards, etc.) Have been among the most commonly associated with lung cancer of occupational origin.

Despite the use of asbestos increasingly limited in recent decades, and recently banned in our country (in 2001 the Ministry of Labour and Social Security prohibits the use of asbestos and demolition except in chlor-alkali production), given the long latency existing between exposure to the mineral and the appearance of disease symptoms, up to 20 years, today they are still largely clinical pleural previous exposure and is expected to increase in coming years for certain diseases associated with asbestos.

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Consistency fibrous asbestos is the basis of its excellent technological properties, but also gives the material, unfortunately, property risk being itself causes serious pathologies affecting mainly the respiratory system.
The danger consists, in the ability of material to release asbestos fibers potentially inhalable: they have a tendency to split longitudinally into thinner fibrils have diameters sufficiently fine (less than 3 microns) that they breathe and penetrate deep into lungs .

A ‘high resistance to acids and alkalis, asbestos fibers gives an extraordinary biopersistence, that remain in the lungs for an almost indefinite time. The fibers resist the attack of macrophages, but those of greater length (more than 5 microns) can not be captured by those who die in the attempt to remove asbestos fibers causing an inflammatory reaction that is at the origin of the lesion asbestos. (more…)