Impact of Asbestos Exposure within the Workplace - Term Paper Example

A Comprehensive Review of the Impact of Asbestos Exposure within the Workplace Name Institution Name Course Name and Code Date Brief Introduction Asbestos has been an integral component in the construction and building industry for long but there are numerous negative effects associated with it. The paper starts with a presentation of an overview of Asbestos and chemical components of asbestos and the second part discuss the historical background of asbestos while the third part discusses the health consequences of exposure to asbestos. The fourth part presents information on Tolerability Standards (from international and United Kingdom U.K) while the fifth proposes and presents prevention and control measures. The paper also discusses strategies, which different stakeholders can implement in ensuring exposure is minimised or completely stopped. Overview of Asbestos Asbestos is a name that refers to six minerals that occur in the environment and exists in form of bundles of fibers. These fibers are separated into thin and durable threads for utilization in industrial and commercial applications. The uniqueness of these fibers includes lack of electrical conductivity and it is resistant to chemicals, fire, and heat. Due to these numerous reasons, asbestos has been used across numerous industries (Goswami et al. 2013). The components of asbestos are oxygen and silicon atoms that form the structure. Asbestos is further divided into amphibole asbestos and serpentine asbestos. Serpentine asbestos is curly and long fibers that can be woven while the amphibole asbestos are needle like and straight fibers and are more brittle compared to the serpentine asbestos and its capacity of fabrication is limited. Since asbestos are used in the construction industries numerous occupations are exposed to asbestos such as the plasterers, shipyard workers, boilermakers, insulation workers and chemical technicians. The consequences of the exposure result in a variety of health and medical complications. Historical Issues Asbestos was an integral component in construction and industrial establishment. It is an old technology that has been associated with numerous health hazards complications (Świątkowska et al. 2015). The use of asbestos predates history while also the health hazards of asbestos also predate this period (Tanaka, Shnimizu and Moriwaki, 2012). Asbestos was an integral component in the construction and industrial applications because of its capacities to be utilized in different sectors under different environmental conditions. For example, it is water and heat resistant meaning it can be deployed to any sector. The name asbestos is traced to the Greek word meaning “indestructible” or “inextinguishable.” However, asbestos has been given numerous names including rock floss, incombustible linen and mountain leather (Consonni, Barone-Adesi, and Mensi, 2014). Moreover, the chrysotile name, which is the common form of asbestos, traces its name to the Greek words “chrysos” referring to gold and “tilos” referring to fiber with the resultant name “gold fiber.” Furthermore, asbestos can be traced to the Roman Empire through documentation to illustrate the importance of the material (Lacourt et al. 2014). Further studies and archaeological digs in Scandinavia has shown that asbestos was used 3000 BC indicating the historical significance of asbestos to the development objectives. A geographer once pointed to the first quarry of asbestos on the Greek island of Evvoia. During these times (early Roman and Greek times), asbestos was used as a by-product in women’s clothing, building materials, and flame retardant cloth. For example, Roman restaurants used products of asbestos to cover the tables (Stayner, Welch and Lemen, 2013). The reasoning was that the table cloth would be thrown into the fire to remove debris and placed on the table to be used by the next customer. In addition, Romans used the asbestos for construction requirements (Markowitz et al. 2013). Apart from the Romans and Greek, different cultures such as the Egyptians embalmed their leaders with asbestos, while the Persians used the asbestos to wrap their dead after importation from India. The argument of the Persians was that the hair was from a small animal that died by water and lived by fire. In medieval times, asbestos was utilised as an insulation component in armour suits. In the 19th century, the importance and significance of asbestos were understood and was used to advance the industrial revolution (Świątkowska, Sobala, and Szubert, 2012). Asbestos was also used to manufacture thousands of products including brake linings, insulation, building materials and textiles. Its utilisation continued to influence the product of numerous products until the 1970s. In the 1970s, information on health hazards of asbestos such as mesothelioma and asbestosis was evident, and many people and industries stopped using the asbestos. The problems and health hazards of asbestos were recorded since the beginning of its usage (Fazzo et al. 2012). Documentation indicates problems were identified in the Roman times whereby people such as geographer Strabo and Pliny the Elder stated that individuals who were exposed to asbestos had numerous health problems (La Vecchia and Boffetta, 2014). In fact, Pliny the Elder advised that it was inappropriate to purchase slaves from the asbestos mines since these workers died young. The common health problem across the miners was lung ailments. Pliny the Elder advised that workers use a respirator to filter the dust for the workers working with asbestos. A Viennese physician in 1897 attributed pulmonary and emaciation problems to asbestos dust inhalation. The first documented death associated with asbestos was recorded in 1906 when the autopsy revealed lung fibrosis of an asbestos worker (Frank and Joshi, 2014). As from 1908, insurances companies dealing with health decreased benefits and policies for asbestos workers. In 1928, Cook called the problem of asbestos on lungs asbestosis and stated that the latency period of the problem was 15 years. Other scientists and researchers have presented that the latency period may be more than the 15 years (de Klerk et al. 2013). Continuous studies and research indicated that persons having asbestosis also were diagnosed with lung cancer. In the 1970s, the consequences of exposure to asbestos were evident and studies indicated that any individual who worked in a quarry or used asbestos had a certain percentage or level of asbestosis. Studies also indicated that the more an individual worked with asbestos, increased the chances of asbestosis. Therefore, a direct link between long term exposure to asbestos and health hazards was identified in the 1970s. An important component in the entirety of asbestos is that the health hazards were identified in the first century but people continued to use the product. The utilisation continued until the 1970s when more evidence was availed on the consequences of asbestos (Marinaccio et al. 2015). Evidence exists that indicates that manufacturers of asbestos were aware of the health problems since the 1940s and 1950s but decided to hide the information from their employees. In the 1970s, institutions such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency started regulating the use of asbestos (Nielsen et al. 2014). The structures of both the regulations and enforcement of the legislations meant that the workers are protected but there are individuals who continue to live with the complications of asbestos who worked in asbestos related jobs before the 1980s. Health Effects of Exposure The risk of lung cancer is increased when an individual is exposed to asbestos. However, the risk depends on numerous factors such as the duration of exposure, the level of exposure, the age of the individual, smoking history of an individual and the size and type of asbestos fibers. Based on research, when an individual is exposed to asbestos for a period of 20 and 30 years, the chances of cancer development increases (Prazakova et al. 2014). In addition, working with asbestos is only one of the problems and secondary exposure can be an additional problem (Carrillo et al. 2013). For example, chances of household developing lung cancer increases when one of the family members are exposed to the asbestos. Some symptoms of lung cancer include chest pain, fever, shortness of breath, weight loss and chronic cough, which is diagnosed when cancer has advanced. It means that it is a challenge to diagnose lung cancer in the right time and the delays may result in more complications. Studies have shown a direct relationship between the mesothelioma development and exposure to asbestos fibres. Malignant mesothelioma occurs from the mesothelial cells that form pericardial, peritoneal and pleural lining cavities. The latency period of mesothelioma is usually between 30 and 40 years while the latency period may be longer when the level of exposure is lower. Studies also indicate that early intervention and identification of mesotheliona increases the chances of survival (Linton et al. 2012). However, compared with lung cancer, smoking does not worsen the condition. Some common symptoms of mesothelioma include should and chest pain and frequent dry cough. Other signs of problem processes include fever, weakness, weight loss and tumour grows bigger. Apart from the cancerous conditions, exposure to asbestos results in numerous abnormalities that affect the pleural (Mastrangelo et al. 2013). The abnormalities include rounded atelectasis, fibrosis of the pleura, pleural effusion and pleural plaques. The chance of an individual suffering from the condition is between 10 and 60% depending on the period and levels of exposure. Furthermore, the pleural abnormalities affect the family members and household and may be attributed to asbestos workers carrying home contaminated work clothes (Carrillo et al. 2013). The exposure to asbestos and time of exposure defines types of exposure in that pleural effusions may after 10 years while pleural plaques occur between 20 and 30 years. Other health complications associated with exposure to asbestos include laryngeal and immune system effects. In a small number of studies, the exposure to asbestos has indicated an increased frequency of laryngitis (Sommer and Vyas, 2012). In addition, the immune system of individuals exposed to asbestos decreases. The immune system is integral to the development and functioning of human beings processes meaning maintaining the health and immune system is integral (Carrillo et al. 2013). However, exposure to asbestos reduces the effectiveness of the immune system, and it may contribute to a condition called retroperitoneal fibrosis. The condition may contribute to the occurrence of kidney failure. Therefore, exposure to asbestos affects the health condition and working capability of human body organs and systems. Tolerability Standards (from international and United Kingdom U.K) Governments across the world have continuously developed and implemented legislations targeting banning of the use of asbestos. In the United Kingdom, the prohibition laws were introduced in the 1980s. In 1985, the importation and use of brown and blue asbestos were banned. The law was adjusted in 1992 when the white asbestos was also banned. In 1999, the government banned the use of chrysotile asbestos. In the 1990s, numerous laws were passed to ensure persons working with asbestos understand the risk and health consequences of the product (Wang et al. 2012). These laws set the maximum exposure limits and identified measures to manage the use of asbestos appropriately. The Control of Asbestos Regulation Act 2006 combined the numerous laws relating to asbestos and defining the roles of different stakeholders in use of asbestos. The law was updated in 2012 by Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 Act to comply with international standards, which incorporated measures such as the workers working under medical surveillance, keeping written records, and authoring enforcement of numerous regulations and policies. Asbestos is a hazardous and dangerous product meaning that any level of exposure may result in complicated medical and health issues. It means that there is no level of exposure that is safe but governments and other institutions propose a permissible asbestos exposure limit of 0.1 fibers per cubic centimeter. This permissible asbestos exposure limit is acceptable for work in all industries such as asbestos abatement work, shipyards, and construction. Prevention/Control Strategies Numerous legislation and regulations have been formulated and implemented to address exposure to asbestos (La Vecchia and Boffetta, 2012). For example, the Occupational Safety and Health Act and related legislations state that workers have the right to a healthful and safe workplace. In addition, employees working in an environment where the airborne asbestos hazard is potential, OSHA Asbestos Standard dictate the approach to address the problem (Elliott et al. 2012). Some of the strategies employers have to implement include providing training and information materials, personal protective equipment, medical surveillance procedures, monitoring, work practice procedures and engineering controls (Tiwari and Saha, 2015). Furthermore, facility and building owners must determine whether there is premised asbestos containing materials, the quantity of asbestos containing materials, the location and the presence (Carrillo et al. 2013). The facility and building owners have to maintain the data and ensure the data is shared with interested parties or used to formulate strategies to protect the employees. In ensuring the public and other stakeholders are protected, there are numerous strategies that may be implemented, which include: i. Engineering controls – the employer should employ structures such as dust collection, local exhaust ventilation systems, enclosure and isolation (Fortunato and Rushton, 2015). The aim of these strategies is to ensure the exposure to asbestos is minimal in nature and the employees are aware of the measures in place and collectively ensure the monitoring systems are effective. ii. Work procedures and practices – the employer is required to implement workplace procedures and practices targeting minimisation and elimination of asbestos exposure (Wolff et al. 2015). Some of the strategies may include disposal of asbestos waste, vacuuming asbestos containing debris and waste, wet cleaning and housekeeping procedures. Hence, champion work procedures and practices are important in furthering the safety and health objectives while working with asbestos. iii. Monitoring – the employer is required to carry out tests and sampling through determining the airborne asbestos levels in the workplace that presumed asbestos containing products or asbestos containing product (Wang, Courtice and Lin, 2013). The employer is then required to post the data and inform the workers on the levels and whether the amount of asbestos is a threat to their safety. The data and information should be updated frequently to ensure each individual is informed of the condition. iv. Medical surveillance – the employer has to implement a medical regime in which surveillance is conducted to collect information of asbestos (Wang et al. 2012). The exposure of asbestos should be the guiding principle and pre-placement medical exams have to be conducted and frequent follow up medical examination should be commissioned (Fazzo et al. 2012). Some of the medical tests include lung function tests, chest x-ray, work and medical history. The aim is to determine whether the workers have been affected and formulation of measures to prevent the problem can proceed. v. Personal protective equipment – the employers must provide personal protective equipment such as air-supplied respirators, foot and head coverings, boots, gauntlets, gloves, and clothing. The employer is also tasked with disposing of, maintaining and cleaning of all personal protective equipment. vi. Training and information – the employers are tasked with training and developing the employees to highlight the problems of aspects and practices that can be implemented to address the problem (Courtice, Lin, and Wang, 2012). The employees have to be taught about the numerous control measures, and frameworks used to raise complaints or proposals in addressing asbestos problem. Therefore, a collaboration of different stakeholders is important in ensuring the people are protected from asbestos. The employer has the crucial role of ensuring the employees are informed and practices in place to ensure the exposure to asbestos is controlled and managed effectively. Conclusion In conclusion, asbestos has been used for a long time in numerous industries such as construction and transport. The asbestos has qualities such as fire resistant and does not absorb water. However, persons exposed to asbestos are at risk for many medical conditions and health challenges. It includes complications such as cancer, which has forced governments to formulate and implement measures to protect workers. Some of the control strategies include training and provision of information, personal protective equipment, medical surveillance, monitoring, workplace policies and procedures, and engineering controls. References Carrillo, M.C., Alturkistany, S., Roberts, H., Nguyen, E., Chung, T.B., Paul, N., Herman, S., Weisbrod, G. and Patsios, D., 2013. Low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) in workers previously exposed to asbestos: detection of parenchymal lung disease. Journal of Computer Assisted Tomography, 37(4), pp. 626-630. 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