Asbestos is the name of a group of minerals with long, thin fibers. It was once used widely as insulation. It also occurs in the environment. Asbestos fibers are so small you can't see them. Disturbing asbestos can cause fibers to float in the air. When this happens, they are easy to inhale. You breathe out most fibers, but some become lodged in the lungs. Over time, they can build up in the lungs, causing scarring and inflammation. This can eventually affect breathing and lead to disease, such as
- Asbestosis, or scarring of the lungs that makes it hard to breathe
- Mesothelioma, a rare cancer that affects the lining of the lungs or abdomen
- Lung cancer
Lung diseases associated with asbestos usually develop over many years. Smoking cigarettes increases the risk.
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
- Asbestos(Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry) - http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/asbestos/
-
Asbestos Exposure: Questions and Answers
(National Cancer Institute) - http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/asbestos
- Asbestos and Health: Frequently Asked Questions(Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry) - Links to PDF - http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/NOA/Asbestos-and%20Health.pdf
- What Is Asbestos?(Environmental Protection Agency) - http://www.epa.gov/region4/air/asbestos/inform.htm
- Living Near Asbestos Plant Raises Cancer Risk(09/25/2008, Reuters Health) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_69694.html
- Asbestosis(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/asbestosis/DS00482/METHOD=print&DSECTION=all
-
Asbestos in Construction(Center to Protect Workers' Rights) - Links to PDF - http://www.cpwr.com/pdfs/pubs/hazard_alerts/hazasbes.pdf
Also available in Spanish http://www.cpwr.com/hazpdfs/kfspasbe.pdf
- Asbestos in Your Home(Environmental Protection Agency) - http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/asbestos/pubs/ashome.html
- Current Best Practices for Preventing Asbestos Exposure Among Brake and Clutch Repair Workers(Environmental Protection Agency) - http://www.epa.gov/asbestos/pubs/brakesbrochure.html
- Limiting Environmental Exposure to Asbestos in Areas with Naturally Occurring Asbestos(Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry) - Links to PDF - http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/NOA/Asbestos-%20Limiting-Exposure.pdf
-
Tox Town(National Library of Medicine) - Requires Flash Player - http://toxtown.nlm.nih.gov/
Also available in Spanish http://toxtown.nlm.nih.gov/espanol/
-
TOXNET Databases(National Library of Medicine) - Databases on toxicology, hazardous chemicals, and related areas - http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/
- Vermiculite Consumer Products(Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry) - http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/NEWS/vermiculite051603.html
- Asbestos Photos(Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry) - http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/asbestos/more_about_asbestos/asbestos_photos/
- Asbestos Toxicity(Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry) - http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/csem/asbestos/community/index.html
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Occupational exposure to asbestos and mortality among asbestos removal workers:... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18728672&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Magnitude of asbestos-related lung cancer mortality in Italy. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18577986&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Gene expression changes after exposure to six-mix in a mouse... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18569383&tool=MedlinePlus
- Asbestos -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=asbestosis[majr]+OR+asbestos/ae[majr]+NOT+mesothelioma[majr]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+english[la]+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
-
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry - http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/
Also available in Spanish http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/es/es_index.html
- Environmental Protection Agency - http://www.epa.gov/
-
National Cancer Institute - http://www.cancer.gov/
-
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health - http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/
Also available in Spanish http://www.cdc.gov/spanish/niosh/
-
Occupational Safety and Health Administration - http://www.osha.gov/
Also available in Spanish http://www.osha.gov/as/opa/spanish/
- Asbestos: National Primary Drinking Water Regulations(Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water) - http://www.epa.gov/safewater/dwh/c-ioc/asbestos.html
- National Asbestos Exposure Review (NAER)(Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry) - http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/asbestos/sites/national_map/
-
TOXMAP(National Library of Medicine) - Create maps showing locations of toxic chemical releases - http://toxmap.nlm.nih.gov/toxmap/main/index.jsp
- Frequently Asked Questions about Asbestos in Schools(Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances) - http://www.epa.gov/asbestos/pubs/aherafaq.html
- Mesothelioma - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/mesothelioma.html
- Lungs and Breathing - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/lungsandbreathing.html
- Poisoning, Toxicology, Environmental Health - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/poisoningtoxicologyenvironmentalhealth.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Asbestos is the National Cancer Institute - http://www.nci.nih.gov/