Understanding the Dangers of Asbestos – The Hidden Health Hazard | Air-Met Scientific

What is Asbestos?

A naturally occurring mineral, asbestos was used extensively from the late 1800s in the construction industry in cement sheeting’s, drainage pipes and roof insulation. Being strong, cheap and fire-resistant, asbestos was a popular product for a variety of construction products such as ceiling tiles, cement, roof tiles etc. This was before the harmful effects of asbestos was discovered. The earliest discovery of the dangers of asbestos was reported by the US Government in a Labour Statistics finding of abnormally high risk of early death among asbestos workers.
Asbestos was used in some form of building and construction until the 1990s. In Australia, the import and export of asbestos-containing goods were banned in 2003.

Why is Asbestos so dangerous?

Asbestos fibres can pose a health risk when airborne and inhalation is the main way it enters the body. Breathing in asbestos fibres can cause asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma. No amount of asbestos is safe, but it generally has the worst effects when a person is exposed to an intense concentration of it over a long period of time. Asbestos-related diseases don’t show symptoms immediately and generally takes years for it to develop before signs are visible. Damage as a result of asbestos are irreversible.

Australian Regulation for the protection of workers from Asbestos

¹ Australia has unfortunately the second-highest mesothelioma (rare cancer caused by asbestos exposure) death rate in the world trailing that of the United Kingdom. The individuals most at risk are those who are employed in construction, carpentry, plumbing, electrical and insulation work. SafeWork Australia is the nation’s governing body that oversees the proper handling of asbestos in the workplace. Some other organisations that work to build asbestos awareness include:

• Asbestos Safety Eradication Agency – A government agency that oversees national actions to improve asbestos awareness and the effective and safe management, removal and disposal of asbestos.
• Asbestosis & Mesothelioma Association of Australia - Provides support to sufferers of asbestos disease and their families
• FAMANZ (Faculty of Asbestos Management of Australia and New Zealand) - FAMANZ provides a professional home for those practitioners providing services to the asbestos industry. Air-Met Scientific is a proud supporter of FAMANZ.

Air-Met Scientific is the exclusive distributor the revolutionary xRfiber automated asbestos fibre counting PCM Platform which can perform an analysis in seconds. To learn more about the xRfiber fibre counting platform or asbestos sampling equipment, contact your local Air-Met Scientific office today.

References

1. Selby, K. (2021, October 15). Mesothelioma in Australia. Retrieved from Asbestos.com: https://www.asbestos.com/mesothelioma/australia/