Clinical evidence of adverse effects associated with exposure to asbestos is present in the form of several well-conducted studies of occupationally exposed workers, family contacts of workers, and persons living near asbestos. These studies show definite associate between exposure to these fibers and an increased incidence of lung cancer, cancer of the lining around the lung and belly, lung scarring or “asbestosis”, and gastrointestinal cancers. Exposure has also been associated with increased occurrence of throat, mouth, esophagus and kidney cancers. The illnesses associated with exposure generally occur about 20 years after exposure.

These same studies show that the risk of lung cancer among exposed workers who smoke cigarettes is greatly increased over the risk of lung cancer among non-exposed smokers or exposed nonsmokers. It appears that stopping smoking will help to decrease this risk.

The signs and symptoms of lung cancer and gastrointestinal cancer in people exposed to asbestos is the same as the symptoms of these in other people and includes shortness of breath, chest pain, a persistent cough, coughing up blood, abdominal pain, blood in stools, weight loss, etc. Asbestosis or scarring of the lung is experienced as shortness of breath, cough, fatigue, and vague feelings of sickness. Usually the shortness of breath begins only with exertion, but as the disease worsens it can even occur with rest.

Because of the risks of occupational exposure to asbestos, employers are required to utilize work practice controls, personal protective equipment, and medical surveillance to protect employees. Work practice controls are methods to keep the workplace free of airborne fibers as much as possible. These can include engineering interventions such as ventilation and simple measures such as vacuuming instead of sweeping asbestos fibers into the air. Because these measures are not 100% effective though, employees are fitted with masks that filter the particles out of the air and protective clothing to limit contact where necessary.

The third part of protecting employees is medical surveillance and screening. There is no way to know who will get cancer or problems from asbestos. Chest x-rays, pulmonary function tests, and physical exam may help to determine overexposure in the past, potential intolerance to wearing a respirator, and maybe even early cancers or scarring. A good medical history, family history, and occupational history helps the physician to know more about the individuals risks and potential work capacity. These exams by law must be provided at least annually by the employer at no cost to the employee. The physician you will be seeing has read the OSHA standards on asbestos and will provide a written opinion to your employer regarding her/his opinion as to whether you have any detected medical condition that would place you at an increased risk of exposure-related disease, and any recommendation as to limitation of your work load or use of personal protective equipment. S/he will let you know what s/he has found at the end of the exam and when the x-ray results have been interpreted by a radiologist a letter will be sent to the employer. A copy of this opinion will then be provided to the employee by the employer.

Remember, follow the instructions of the safety officer and if you have questions about the personal protective equipment (including respirators), be sure to get them answered. If you smoke, please quit. And maintain a healthy weight, exercise program, and lifestyle to add to your safety.

OSHA Standards
Determination of asbestos exposure must be made from breathing zone air samples. All employees exposed above the action level - >0.1 fiber/cc in an 8 hour time-weighted average shall be included in a medical surveillance program. This includes a physician supervised exam before exposure and annual exams thereafter.

OSHA Asbestos Information (opens in new window)

http://www.osha-slc.gov/OshStd_data/1910_1001.html

Online Respirator Exams

Visit our Regulatory Agencies page to find contact information for the aforementioned government agencies.