Los peligros de la contaminación por asbesto natural

El asbesto is an ongoing danger in products, buildings and the environment.

While it has been common knowledge for some time that asbesto is dangerous, it is still allowed to be used in many forms of industry. In fact, cemento y el concreto aún representan casi las tres cuartas partes del uso de asbesto use. There are also remnants of asbesto that remain in homes and other structures, including asbesto-containing baldosas de vinilo, que contienen asbesto , techos granulados y tejas de asfalto, entre otros materiales interiores y exteriores.

Be cautious: some old consumer products may still contain asbesto.

Ocasionalmente, el asbesto aparece en suministros que deberían estar totalmente libres de la sustancia, incluidos maquillaje, arcilla, crayones y otros productos cotidianos.

Individuals concerned about exposure are often leery of contamination from construction sites and steer clear of areas where the extraen and processing of asbesto products occurs. They think of airborne asbesto being breathed in and causing mesothelioma, among many other cancers.

Care should be exercised and steps taken to avoid any asbesto exposure. 

The American Lung Association notes that there is a risk that once inhaled, some asbesto fibers will never leave the body.¹ El asbesto-related illnesses tienen una latencia prolongada y pueden tardar décadas en aparecer después de la exposición.

However, airborne asbesto isn’t the only form of exposure that can lead to chronic illnesses. New developments in asbesto research have shown that groundwater can also be contaminated.

Other Cross-contamination

El asbesto can sometimes contaminate minerals nearby where it is formed. Two examples of naturally occurring substances that are likely to become tainted with asbesto are vermiculita y talco.

Libby, Montana and the dangers of asbestos contamination

La extracción de vermiculita comenzó en la década de 1920 cerca de Libby, Montana. Cuatro décadas después, en 1963, WR Grace, una empresa química, compró el negocio. La empresa instaló dos sitios en los que se calentó vermiculita, lo que le permitió expandirse. En ese momento, no había forma de que los trabajadores supieran que la vermiculita contenía asbesto y calentarla resultó en una exposición directa.

In 2005, owner W.R. Grace and seven other executives were indicted for “knowingly endangering residents of Libby, Montana, and concealing information about the health effects of its asbesto mining operations,” according to the lawsuit filed against them. The legal issues and clean-up efforts that resulted cost the company billions. And former employees and nearby residents are still developing adverse health conditions as a result.

Johnson & Johnson (J&J) has also been at the center of widespread litigation surrounding the potential of its talc powder to contain cancer-causing asbesto. The company even injected presos with asbesto in the 1970s to test its effects against talc powder used on their skin. 

Desde entonces, se han presentado muchas demandas contra la empresa, alegando que su polvo de talco está contaminado.

The Short- and Long-term Impact of Asbestos Contamination 

If efforts to improve asbesto containment aren’t taken seriously, many more people will become ill and die from exposure. In the short term, asbesto exposure can cause shortness of breath, a lingering cough and brain “fogginess.” 

Las consecuencias a más largo plazo incluyen cambios neurológicos, daño al sistema nervioso, cicatrización de tejidos, afecciones respiratorias, muchas formas de cáncer, incluido el mesotelioma, cáncer de ovario, riñón y pulmón (entre otros). 

The National Cancer Institute states that “there is no safe level of asbesto exposure.”²

Ultimately, asbesto-related illnesses can lead to death. Not to be taken lightly, improvements to asbesto containment can prevent spillover and save lives.