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Breathing in air
containing asbestos fibres can lead to asbestos-related diseases,
mainly cancers of the lungs and chest lining, such as Mesothelioma.
Asbestos is only a
risk to health if asbestos fibres are released into the air and
breathed in. Past exposure to asbestos currently kills 3000 people a
year in Great Britain; this number is expected to go on rising for
the next ten years.
There is no cure for
asbestos-related diseases.
There is usually a
long delay between first exposure to asbestos and onset of disease.
This can vary from 15 to 60 years. Only by preventing or minimizing
these exposures now will asbestos-related disease eventually be
wiped out.
There are three main
types of asbestos still found in premises. These are commonly
called:-
“Blue asbestos”
(Crocidolite), “Brown asbestos” (Amosite), and “White asbestos”
(Chrysotile). All of them are dangerous, but blue and brown asbestos
are more hazardous than white. They cannot be identified purely by
colour alone.
In general, the more asbestos a person is exposed to,
the greater the risk of developing an asbestos related disease.
Airborne asbestos can be present during renovation and demolition of
buildings and building products. Residential and non -residential
buildings can contain asbestos materials. Untrained individuals
performing asbestos-related work can expose themselves, other
individuals in the building, or their own families by having their
clothing or skin contaminated with asbestos fibres. |
