How Asbestos Affects Lung Tissue on a Cellular Level:
We’ve all heard about the dangers of asbestos, a flexible mineral once used commonly in everything from building materials to clothing. According to the World Health Organization, more than 100,000 people die from asbestos-related diseases every year, including mesothelioma and lung cancer. People most at risk for asbestos-related diseases are workers in the shipping and construction industries. Their families may also be at risk because asbestos fibers can travel home on clothing or belongings. But how does asbestos cause this damage? In this article we’ll look at how asbestos enters the body and what it does to lung tissues once it’s there.
How Asbestos Enters the Body
Asbestos fibers are thin and flexible and can easily be carried through the air or water when disturbed. This can happen while working with materials that contain asbestos, such as ceiling tiles or insulation that contain asbestos, or when materials containing asbestos burn. When people inhale asbestos, or ingest it through drinking water, the fibers can lodge in the lungs and tissues of the digestive system. Once there, the asbestos fibers are in the body for life.
Asbestos Bonds with Cells
Once asbestos is in the body, it can slowly wreak havoc. A single asbestos fiber can bind with a specific receptor in a cell, causing a cascading series of events which leads to cancer. Moreover, because asbestos fibers are basically stuck in the body once they lodge in tissue, they cause chronic inflammation. As a result, some cells can be physically altered by their prolonged and recurrent contact with asbestos fibers. These alterations eventually lead to cancerous cells, which can multiply.Because of the long-lasting nature of asbestos in the body, and the slow changes exposure can initiate, it may be decades before a mesothelioma or cancer diagnosis. Researchers hope that understanding the intricacies of the binding process between asbestos and cells may lead to a way to prevent or undo the binding process on the cellular level.If you or a loved one has been exposed to asbestos, call us. We have decades of experience helping victims of asbestos-related diseases. Call 888-910-MESO (6376) for a free consultation.
