Asbestos is a serious environmental and occupational hazard. Exposure to asbestos dust has been linked to lung cancer and mesothelioma, and some estimates reach as high as 250,000 dead as a result. In an effort to better understand these deadly diseases it is important to look at the scholarly research being done. A good starting place is taking a look at the study called, “Asbestos-catalysed lipid peroxidation and its inhibition by desferroxamine.” By S A Weitzman and A B Weitberg - Biochem J. 1985 January 1; 225(1): 259–262. Here is an excerpt: “ Abstract - In an effort to understand the properties of asbestos fibres that might contribute to their being toxic, we incubated three different varieties of asbestos with phospholipid emulsions and looked for evidence of lipid peroxidation. Although all three types of asbestos were able to catalyse lipid peroxidation in the native state, this catalytic activity was inhibited by pre-washing of the asbestos with the iron chelator desferroxamine. This suggests that: lipid peroxidation may be one of the mechanisms by which asbestos produces tissue injury, and treatment with iron chelators might diminish the potential to produce this injury.”
Another interesting study is called, “Asbestos Fibers in the General Population” by Churg, A and Warnock, ML - AM. REV. RESPIRAT. DIS. Vol. 122, no. 5, pp. 669-678. 1980. Here is an excerpt: “The authors isolated uncoated asbestos fibers from the lungs of 21 urban dwellers who had fewer than 100 asbestos bodies/gram of lung, a level shown previously to be associated with environmental rather than occupational exposure to asbestos. Lack of occupational history was confirmed in 20 of the 21 patients; history of probable exposure was obtained for 1 patient. Fibers were counted, measured, and identified using a combination of electron optical morphology, diffraction, and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy.”
Finally, a third study worth digging into is called, “Mechanisms of Carcinogenesis and Clinical Features of Asbestos-Associated Cancers” by Brooke T Mossman, David W. Kamp and Sigmund A. Weitzman - Cancer Investigation 1996, Vol. 14, No. 5, Pages 466-480. Here is an excerpt: “Exposure to asbestos, particularly members of the amphibole subgroup (crocidolite, amosite), is associated with the development of malignant mesothelioma and lung cancer. Although management of asbestos in buildings and increased regulation of asbestos in workplace settings are viable approaches to the prevention of disease, the prognosis of asbestos-associated tumors is generally dismal. Moreover, although a vast amount of information is available on the responses of cells and tissues to fibers, understanding the pathogenesis of asbestos-associated malignancies is hampered by the complexity of and differences between various fiber types. Multiple interactions between components of cigarette smoke and asbestos may be important in the development of lung cancer. In this article, the general properties of asbestos fibers will be discussed with an emphasis on chemical and physical features implicated in tumorigenesis. We will then provide a brief overview of the clinical features and treatment of cancers associated with exposure to asbestos. Finally, we will review recent experimental data providing some insight into the cellular and molecular mechanisms of carcinogenesis by asbestos.”
If you found any of these excerpts helpful, please read the studies in their entirety.
Author Resource:
Thor Anderson is the author of this article on Navy Asbestos Claims .
Find more information about Navy Asbestos Exposure here.
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