Sunday, May 29, 2011

Exporting Death


I am big fan of the Daily Show and I was watching a segment about asbestos. At the end of the segment I realized that I do not know what is asbestos. The only thing that I know about asbestos is that it causes mesothelioma and I know that because of the law attorney commercials about asbestos. So, I did some research what is asbestos. Apparently asbestos is a mineral fiber that is used in building construction materials for insulation and fire-retardant. Asbestos is commonly seen as a white material, but it can be brown or blue in its natural state. However, this material is a carcinogen.

There are three types of asbestos that are known and commonly used. One of them is chrysotile which is the material that is seen in the Daily Show clip; chrysotile originates in Canada and is often used industrially. The fibers are curled and less sharp so it possesses less of a threat. The second type is amosite which is brown asbestos. Amosite originates in Africa and its fibers are needle fibers. So when a person inhales amosite accidentally, it is extremely dangerous because of the fibers will be trapped in the lungs. Crocidolite is the third type of asbestos. Crocidolite is blue and originates in Africa and Australia; this is known to be the most dangerous type of asbestos out of the three. The type that was mentioned in the segment was chrysotile. So I did further research about chrysotile, what is it used in and how it causes cancer?

Chrysotile looks like a sandwich with sheets that contains magnesium and silica as seen in the pictures. This white asbestos was used primarily in oil lamp wicks, cremation cloths and other textiles. Now, this white substance is enclosed in cement or resin. So the material is seen in fibre-cement building and construction materials. Long exposure to chrysotile does result to mesothelioma, this is a known fact. Yet they are many causes of mesothelioma, this could be that the employees and consumers are not warned about the dangers of their products. Unfortunately, exposure of asbestos do not show symptoms until the disease becomes terminal. Asbestos-related diseases survive approximately 18 months after diagnosis. This show that time is critical to a person who has been exposed to asbestos.

Mesothelioma is unique type of lung cancer that occurs in the mesothelium and is typically caused by asbestos exposure. When a person is exposed to asbestos fibers, they are inhaled through the mouth or nose and may eventually become embedded in the lining of the lungs. There is a latency associated with mesothelioma between exposure to asbestos and the symptoms. Through time the asbestos irritates the mesothelium causing inflammation and malignant scar tissue plagues on mesothelium. These plaques are believed to be the foundation of a tumor. Symptoms of mesothelioma is lower back pain or side chest, pain, shortness of breath, difficulty of swallowing, persistent coughing, fever, weight loss, fatigue, coughing up blood, facial and arm swelling, muscle weakness, loss of sensory capability, nausea, and vomiting. Remember that in most cases there is a latency period and this latency period for the majority of cases is between 35 to 40 years. There is no cure for mesothelioma, yet there are options of mesothelioma therapies. Mesothelioma therapies include surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. These therapies does not successfully remove the disease, it just makes it easier to cope with it.



With the knowledge of what is asbestos and how it causes mesothelioma, a person can have a better understanding of the segment in the Daily Show. (So watch the segment.) After watching the segment and take a moment to finish your last laugh. Though the segment is extremely funny, it is serious. India is experiencing an economic growth, so there is a demand for new buildings for the country. They would buy chrysotile asbestos cement because it is inexpensive and durable. Right now India is deciding whether to ban the use of asbestos; to ban the chrysotile asbestos means the country would be losing an inexpensive and durable material that employs thousands of people and using more expensive materials means less people will be hired. Remember this is a country were the caste system has strong holding, which means the chances of a low caste man becoming rich in his life time is extremely small. Also Canada is involved in an unethical dilemma because they are suppliers; they are exporting death to another country. So what is the solution; should India ban chrysotile asbestos? What should the Canadian government do; should they get involved with the suppliers and ban their exporting of the material though it is a private company or should the government not get involved?