A group of Italian researchers have done an in-depth study on the effects of asbestos on the respiratory system. Much has been unknown about how asbestos actually begins cancerous growths that lead to lung cancer, asbestosis and mesothelioma. This study used synchrotron soft x-ray imaging and florescence microscopy to better examine the process.
Asbestos is considered a Type 1 carcinogen by the World Health Organization. The same group estimates close to ninety thousand mesothelioma deaths worldwide, annually, if current asbestos use is not immediately curbed. Known to cause severe respiratory illnesses, the toxic chemical continues to be used globally, in many cases without proper health and safety precautions.
In the US asbestos has greatly diminished from use in countless industries. However, regular, heavy asbestos use typified most industries and manufacturing between the 1920s and 1980s. Even if asbestos use was completely discontinued today, it would take decades to rid the nation of its presence. In the mean time, the Environmental Protection Agency covers asbestos use and removal regulations in the Clean Air Act.
Through this recent study, Italian researchers report they have “revealed the location, distribution and elemental composition of asbestos bodies and associated nanometric structures.” Most notable is the formation of cancerous tumors. The body reacts to foreign asbestos fibers by wrapping them into pod-like clusters, called ‘asbestos bodies.’ This may be the body’s way of trying to isolate the intruding matter from healthy tissues. High silicon content was found close to the asbestos fibers, as well as the presence of magnesium, which may play a part in the cluster formation process.
In an article in journal Particle and Fibre Toxicity the researchers report, “The new results obtained by simultaneous structural and chemical analysis of tissue specimens have provided clear evidence that magnesium, in addition to iron, is also involved in the formation mechanisms of asbestos bodies.”
This research may prove incredibly beneficial in the fight against rare cancer mesothelioma. There is no known cure for mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is characterized by a long latency period followed by a grim prognosis. Average life expectancy after diagnosis is eighteen months. There are mesothelioma treatments available; patients are often administered a combination of surgeries, chemotherapy, radiation therapy and pain management. Read More
for detailed price charts.
0 comments:
Post a Comment