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Global Climate change and health

Asbestos, the invisible carcinogen

by Thadeus Obadha Odenyo
https://healthfirst.brick.site/

Asbestos is a known human carcinogen, indiscriminately affecting men, women and children. The scientific evidence that asbestos fibers cause asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma is incontrovertible. In its natural form, asbestos can be found in many rock formations. Therefore, laborers working in the mining sector are prone to occupational exposure. Similarly, naturally occurring asbestiform can contaminate drinking water.   Historically, Asbestos’s natural resistance to heat, chemicals, acid, and electricity made it a highly desirable material that served a wide range of uses. Manufacturers primarily used the mineral for insulation and fireproofing applications, but it has more than 3,000 documented uses. Asbestos is not only ubiquitous in occurrence but in usage as well and was once a popular material in: boilers, Steam pipes, asbestos cement, roofing and other construction materials, steel supports in buildings, air conditioning ducts, textiles, brakes, gaskets and clutch pads. In many African cities, asbestos can be seen on government buildings and institutions. Whereas, asbestos is known to be innocuous if undisturbed, there is no evidence that maintenance workers are aware of the health risk associated with their exposure to, during routine maintenance. This is evident in the glaring absence of any protection during removal and disposal of Asbestos.  

 

How many people know about asbestos

Given, its inert nature, many ignorant people are constantly exposed to asbestos. Many building industry workers are oblivious of the asbestos that they are perpetually exposed to during their work. Many would like to believe that there is no harm due to asbestos in homes and workplaces, however, much as they do, exposure to asbestos is rising as people fail to realize the asbestos disease nexus. The evidence of asbestos exposure is out there in the form of asbestos related diseases. It is a salient antinomy, that many other health hazards and infections prevalent in the LMICs obscure the true impacts of asbestos related deaths since people die prematurely before developing mesothelioma.

 

Where is asbestos found

In the occupational settings, asbestos can be found in cement handling areas. Studies have shown that laborers working in the building industry experience chronic exposure to asbestos. Similarly, untrained informal sector artisans are in great danger of exposure as they lack the technical knowhow to handle asbestos. This is evident in the informal sector where brake pads and clutch repairs are undertaken by artisans. Obviously, it is evident that they lack the gear to protect themselves from inhaling asbestos and other airborne occupational toxicants. Their exposure does not only end at their workplace; indeed, some workers carry home not only working materials but their contaminated clothes. As such, families are overexposed to asbestos during laundry, cooking and even at night while sleeping. This scenario is compounded by their helplessness as captured during an interview. One of the artisans said, ‘there is nothing we can do about it, as long as it puts food on the table’. This statement evokes emotions of pity and anger. The question that should be posed to policy makers is obvious. Antithetically, some of the relevant policy makers lack the insight to visualize the intricacies of asbestos exposure dynamics. From the asbestos minefields in south Africa, to the dumpsites in Algeria and Egypt, we are surrounded by potential air pollutant that can travel upon being summoned by global climate change related extreme weather conditions.

 

Is asbestos dangerous

There are multiple angles of understanding the good and harmful attributes of asbestos. On the positive side, Asbestos is still in use today and continues to provide utility in the building industry. In terms of health and environment, asbestos is a time bomb considering the effects of global climate change that continue to disrupt routines and daily order. It might appear far from reality, however, asbestos dust from mines and dumpsites can be carried by fast-moving wind to distal locations. Asbestos particles can enter deep into the lungs and cause inflammation. Long-term exposure to asbestos has been associated with mesothelioma, asbestosis, cancer of the larynx, and pharyngeal cancer. From the foregoing discourse, it is true that asbestos is a health hazard. In fact, in tandem with the observed asbestos use and applications, the domestic environment within low-income families contributes to increased exposure. Grim as it may sound, by exposing children to asbestos, we are inoculating the next cohort of cancer patients with carcinogens.

 

How can we protect ourselves from asbestos

The first step to manage asbestos exposure and environmental contamination is education, awareness and information dissemination. All efforts geared towards addressing the health risks posed by asbestos can acquire greater impetus and propulsion with adequate education and awareness. Afterall, how can we prevent a problem that we do not understand? Studies on health behavior change associated with chronic conditions have reported that perceptions determine engagement or lack of engagement towards disease prevention. Underpinning the association is the imperative of knowledge that influences the perceptions to disease prevention and control. Awareness can enhance the self-efficacy that is necessary to administer protection at individual and community level. Personal protection is important as a step towards protecting others. Exposed clothes and working tools must be decontaminated and kept safely. It starts with one individual and then some and then all individuals realize that it is not only working for them but that it can work for others as well.

 

What should we do to protect others?

Legislation is most important in protecting the masses from Asbestos. General public awareness can improve the safety associated with asbestos handling and application. In high-income countries, there are trained asbestos technicians, however, this is not the case with the LMICs.  Nevertheless, it is important that the governments concerned must take necessary action to protect the citizens from rogue merchants who pay no attention to safety requirements and protocols. The journey toward asbestos containment and remediation must be deliberate and consistent. Political goodwill is necessary to augment the roles played by various stakeholders to alleviate environmental impacts and health outcomes of asbestos exposure.

 

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