How Is Asbestos Dangerous To You?

Asbestos is a dangerous material when damaged as microscopic fibers are released into the air and can be inhaled. When you crush, saw, drill, or otherwise manipulate asbestos material, it can turn into dust. Thus, very small asbestos fibers and dust are dangerous when they are present in the air you breathe.

When you breathe these fibers or dust frequently at a workplace, then you (and your family members) increase the chance of getting lung diseases, such as asbestosis or even mesothelioma, a form of lung cancer.

What Are Short-Term Asbestos Exposures?

Short-term exposure to asbestos refers to exposure that lasts from a few hours to one or two days. The degree of exposure and the amount of asbestos fibers and dust present in the air are also important when talking about short-term exposure.

What Are Examples of Short-term Asbestos Exposures?

The following are examples of short-term exposure to asbestos:

When you are near an asbestos removal site for a few minutes

When you do a small renovation work that may contain asbestos materials

When you disturb by mistake soil or material that may contain asbestos

When you work or live near an area where demolition of an old building is taking place

When you expose yourself to asbestos for a few minutes without your knowledge

All asbestos exposure is potentially dangerous and even deadly

Any exposure to asbestos is dangerous to you. These short-term exposures are generally safe and do not cause problems. However, you should not expose yourself too many times just because short-term exposure will not harm you. Remember, you are at risk then.

“The overall evidence suggests there is no safe level of asbestos exposure.”

Source: National Cancer Institute (NIH) ¹

Of course, incidents such as the 9/11 attacks, when the toxic exposure was high, could lead to health problems later in life.

Can an Incident Like the 9/11 Attack Cause Asbestos Exposure?

The 9/11 attacks caused the destruction of the World Trade Center (Twin Towers) and many other buildings nearby. Since the buildings were constructed with asbestos materials, they released fibers and dust when they collapsed, forming a huge cloud over a large area surrounding the site.

This is a perfect example of short-term asbestos exposure. This type of exposure is also very dangerous because of the thick cloud of asbestos present in the air.

People living in nearby areas were exposed to asbestos, which would prove dangerous to many. Even rescue workers, police officers, firefighters, and others suffered short-term exposure to asbestos.

Therefore, short-term strong exposure to asbestos is very dangerous.

It is now over twenty years since the 9/11 attacks. It is possible that people exposed then will start showing symptoms of asbestos-related diseases now. This is because asbestos exposure takes a long time to act in the lungs.

What are long-term exposures?

The following are examples of long-term exposure to asbestos:

When you work in an asbestos manufacturing factory
When you work in a workplace with asbestos products
When you work with a contractor who breaks down asbestos containing materials
When you work in any place where work on known or unknown asbestos containing materials is taking place
When you are caught in a disaster- affected area

These long-term exposures to asbestos can cause health problems if you do not take protective action. This is because continuous exposure to asbestos has an added effect. That is why it causes health problems.

“Generally, those who develop asbestos-related diseases show no signs of illness for a long time after exposure.”

Source: National Cancer Institute (NIH) ²

You must remember that asbestos exposure will not show symptoms of health problems immediately. It takes a long time before symptoms appear. This is called the latency of asbestos-related illnesses.

Sometimes, by the time symptoms appear, the disease would have reached an advanced stage. This is very much true in cases of cancer. According to a study, the chance of getting asbestosis and mesothelioma increased with increasing duration of exposure. People suffered from lung cancer and other diseases after exposure to asbestos for 30-39 years.

There are six types of asbestos fibers and any or all can cause health problems. A number of factors cause asbestos-related diseases, including:

Breathing air full of asbestos dust and/or fibers

Working for a long time with asbestos containing materials or in the vicinity of those who do

A hereditary connection, and/or other diseases that could hasten the occurrence of asbestos-related diseases

Poor ventilation in the exposure area

Poor personal protective equipment

Certain lifestyle habits may increase your chance of getting an asbestos-related disease. For example, smoking puts someone’s risk of developing an asbestos-related disease at 50-90 times higher than non-smokers. Smoking and asbestos exposure together are very dangerous are more likely to cause lung cancer.

Asbestos in any form is quite dangerous.

When you leave asbestos without damaging it, there is generally no problem. The problem comes when you damage asbestos material. This is because of the asbestos fibers and dust they release into the air.
Asbestos that breaks up into fibers is known as friable asbestos. Asbestos fibers are microscopic and highly durable, so they can embed in your lungs and other parts of the body. Over time, they damage and scar the human tissue, leading to disease.

Should You Worry About Short-term Asbestos Exposure?

As mentioned, any exposure to asbestos is dangerous. It is good to be wary of asbestos. If you believe you were exposed, you need to determine whether the exposure was short-term or long-term. If the exposure was short, there is not much to worry about. However, if the short exposure was because of a strong presence of asbestos fibers and dust, then you must immediately meet a doctor. This is very important because your doctor must track your health regularly for asbestos-related health problems, especially in relation to lung tissue.

Do All People Have Some Asbestos In Their Lungs?

According to post-mortem studies conducted by Professor Seaton at the University of Aberdeen, 60% of people in the UK had asbestos fibers in their lungs at the time of death. In fact, in large cities in the UK, everybody– that is 100% of people – had asbestos fibers in their lungs when they died, even when their death was not caused by an asbestos-related disease.

According to another study, a patient diagnosed with mesothelioma died with 102 million asbestos fibers in the lung.

Can One-Time Exposure to Asbestos Kill You?

You know exposure to asbestos is dangerous. Your chance of getting an asbestos-related disease is very low if your exposure is for a short while. The chance is even lower if the air contains very low levels of asbestos fibers and dust.

However, if the air you inhale contains a thick cloud of asbestos fibers and dust, then your risk of asbestos-related disease increases. Short-term exposure in disaster-affected areas can increase your chance of getting an asbestos-related disease (like the 9/11 attacks or earthquakes).

“Some asbestos fibers may bypass…your body’s natural defenses…and lodge deep within your lungs. Those fibers can remain in place for a very long time and may never be removed.”

Source: American Lung Association (NIH) ²

Significant asbestos exposure can lead to the development of serious health problems and asbestos-related diseases like mesothelioma and lung cancer.

Therefore, from the above discussion you can see that one-time exposure to asbestos will not kill you. In fact, research finds that all of us will have a few asbestos fibers in our lungs without causing us any harm.

If you may have been exposed to asbestos, speak with your healthcare provider about tests and screening to help detect the presence of asbestos fibers and asbestos-related damage.

AsbestosClaims.Law

AsbestosClaims.law is your comprehensive resource for all things asbestos. We hope this information is helpful.

If you have any additional questions or concerns related to asbestos, check out our website and YouTube page for videos, infographics and answers to your questions about asbestos, including health and safety, asbestos testing, removing asbestos from your home and building, and legal information.

And if you believe that you were exposed to asbestos, or have been diagnosed with an asbestos illness, you could be entitled to significant compensation—money you could use to cover the costs of asbestos removal services, pay for medical treatment, and preemptively protect your physical well-being.

All without filing a lawsuit.

If you’d like help with filing a claim, please get in touch by email at [email protected], or call or text us at (833) 4-ASBESTOS (427-2378) or (206) 455-9190. We’ll listen to your story and explain your options. And we never charge for anything unless you receive money in your pocket.

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Sources:

https://www.mesothelioma.com/asbestos-exposure/short-term/
https://www.asbestos.com/exposure/short-term/
https://www.asbestos.com/exposure/
https://www.rpwb.com/news/should-i-be-worried-about-one-time-asbestos-exposure/
https://topclassactions.com/lawsuit-settlements/medical-problems/asbestos/can-a-single-exposure-to-asbestos-be-harmful/
https://www.shponline.co.uk/occupational-health/one-fibre-really-kill-asbestos-real-perceived-risk-part-1/
https://www.mesolawsuitafterdeath.com/asbestos/what-happens-when-asbestos-is-inhaled/
https://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/dangerous.htm
http://www.asbestosnation.org/five-things-to-know-about-asbestos/
https://dls.westcollegescotland.ac.uk/pluginfile.php/7832/mod_resource/content/1/page_03.htm
https://www.quora.com/Can-accidentally-breathing-in-a-tiny-bit-of-asbestos-kill-you-I-just-think-I-breathed-some-in-and-want-to-know-if-I-am-at-risk