Asbestos, even nowadays, can still be found in a broad variety of products. Known health conditions that are linked back to exposure to the material include asbestos lung mesothelioma cancer and asbestosis.

To fully understand the complexity of this issue, we first need to look at a few fundamental aspects and get clarification of some basic questions.

What is asbestos?

The term asbestos does actually not stand for one single material, but is much rather a common name used for any silicate materials of fibrous structure, that are by virtue of their consistency, more resistant to thermal and chemical influences than other naturally occurring materials. Asbestos comes in two forms: serpentine and amphibole. It is made of a silicate of impure magnesium.

The characteristics of asbestos

Because of its aforementioned characteristics, it was and is still used for insulation purposes, fire proofing, a variety of building materials, electrical insulation, brakes and in a number of different industries. Both forms of asbestos are known for their resistance to extreme temperature and applied force. If we take a closer look at the raw ore of asbestos, we find a structure of fibrous strands, comparable to a web of interwoven fibers. The strands split up further into even thinner fibers, if the material is exposed to any kind of disturbance. The individual fibers are initially visible, but as the disturbance continues, they split into microscopic dust particles. This is why asbestos is called a friable material and it explains why there is a serious problem as asbestos fibers get airborne. As the fibers linger in the contaminated air, they might get inhaled and because of the fact that they are that small, they can pass the airways defense mechanisms undetected.

There are a few physical characteristics that distinctively differentiate the serpentine asbestos from the amphibole form. Let's look at the serpentines first. When broken up into smaller pieces, they divide into curly fibers and show very little resistance only, when being bent. Quite the opposite is the amphibole variation; shaped like needles they show a great deal of resistance when attempted to bent or curl them.
As for their appearance, the serpentines are comparable to wool, whereas the amphiboles resemble fiberglass. Asbestos, in addition to the two aforementioned forms, can be distinguished further in three main categories, namely chrysotile, amosite and crocidalite. Chrysotile is the most commonly known and commercially used form of asbestos today.

What countries mine asbestos?

Some of the largest asbestos mine fields in the world can be found in Canada.
But other countries where asbestos mining still plays a major role include Zimbabwe, the Republic of South Africa, Russia, Cyprus and the United States.
The health risk associated with asbestos exposure

Asbestos, as we known nowadays, is a highly potent carcinogen and exposure to the material is associated with a high health risk. Asbestos induced diseases include asbestosis, pleural plaques, lung cancer, mesothelioma and various other forms of cancer. All asbestos related health conditions are associated with a long latency period. Patients may not exhibit any symptoms for up to forty years. This explains why we today see alarmingly high rates of newly diagnosed patients, who were in contact with asbestos in the 1970’s or earlier.

Mesothelioma and other asbestos induced diseases

Continuous inhalation of asbestos particles can lead to a chronic lung disease called asbestosis. But it is important to note that asbestosis is not cancerous. What is sometimes referred to as asbestos lung mesothelioma, is more commonly known as mesothelioma. This form of cancer originates in the mesothelium, which is a very thin lining that embeds the lungs and other organs. Mesothelioma is very rare in populations where asbestos exposure does not exist. However, for example, in the United States there is no other known cause of mesothelioma than asbestos. Mesothelioma, as just explained, affects the lining of the lungs, whereas lung cancer starts to develop inside the lungs.
The tumors of the mesothelium can occur in two ways, either benign - which means they are not cancerous, or malignant (cancerous). However, malignant mesothelioma is much more common than the non cancerous version.
The core characteristic of a malignant cancer is its ability to spread beyond the primary tumor site into other parts of the body, which makes it harder to treat, hence more dangerous. Malignant mesothelioma can be divided into three forms: sarcomatoid, epithelioid and biphasic (mixed). Up to 70% of all cases of mesothelioma are epithelioid, which is also associated with the best prognosis. The sarcomatoid variant accounts for roughly 10% and the biphasic type for 20%. The epithelioid mesothelioma primarily affects the membrane that surrounds a number of internal organs. Sarcomatoid mesothelioma originates in what is being referred to as supportive tissue, like for instance, bones and muscles. Biphasic mesothelioma is a mixed form and therefore features both, the sarcomatoid and epithelioid variations.

Each of the three conditions is treated with the same options. Approximately 75% of all mesothelioma cases affect the chest cavity (pleura). This is known as pleural mesothelioma. 10%-20% account for the so called peritoneal mesothelioma, which begins in the abdomen. Lastly, there is the pericardial mesothelioma, which starts in the cavity around the heart. Its medical name is pericardial mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma prognosis

In comparison to other cancers, mesothelioma is a rare form. In the United States, each year 2,000 to 3,000 patients get diagnosed. The disease is seen three to five more times in men than in women. On average, after a conclusive diagnosis is being made, a patient has only 16 more months to life.
This must be attributed to the fact that by the time a diagnosis can be made, the cancer has usually advanced to a progressed stage already, which limits the treatment options significantly.