Asbestos are .a mineral group made up of thin microscopic fibers. The fibers do not conduct electricity and are resistant to chemicals, heat and fire, a characteristic that makes them suitable for use in the automobile and the construction industry among others. The product of asbestos can be emitted into the air causing both air and water pollution.

Asbestos are ranked as class-Aair pollutants that are carcinogenic. With inhalation limits of 0.23 unit fibers per cubic centimeter (Alaska Air Toxics Emission Inventory, 1999). Individuals are exposed to the toxicant by inhalation of the tiny asbestos fibers which are released in the air when asbestos are disturbed. The fibers may be trapped in the lungs where in most circumstances they stay for years.

Asbestos trapped in the lungs may lead to a health hazard. National Cancer Institute (NCI) (2009) outlines inflammation of the lungs as the most common condition caused by asbestos. Asbestosis is a condition of inflammation of the lungs that presents with symptoms of respiratory distress. Other non-malignant lung disorders and pleural lung conditions including pleural plaques may present. Conditions of asbestos poisoning are usually accompanied with a persistent cough that gets worse with time, tightening of the chest or pain chest, and weight loss (NCI, 2009). Loss of appetite, fatigue, shortness of breath, hoarseness and wheezing are also prevalent in asbestos poisoning.

Everyone at one time or another in their lives is exposed to asbestos. NCI (2009) records that most people exposed to asbestos do not become ill and that adverse effects are evident in the population that is exposed on a regular basis. Families of people who work in places where they are exposed to asbestos poisoning have shown signs of the exposure poisoning.

The factors that determine whether one will realize adverse effects or not include the dose of exposure, duration of exposureand the source of exposure. Individual risk behaviors that predispose one to the effects of asbestos poisoning include smoking among others.

Asbestos has been listed as a carcinogenic pollutant that increases the risk of contracting lung cancer, as well as mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a rare cancer of the membranes that lines the chest and the abdomen. The U.S Department of Health classified asbestos as a known human carcinogen and advised careful handling of materials containing the mineral (NCI, 2009). Apart from lung diseases, studies indicate that exposure to asbestos also can cause colorectal cancers as well as gastrointestinal cancers. Risk of kidney, esophagus, gall bladder and throat cancers is also high in people exposed to asbestos.

The amount of information about the health risks of asbestosshould be put into consideration while doing an assessment to determine the exposure of workers (Hammar & Dodson, 2012). Labor organizationswere they armed with the information would be in a better place to bargain for occupational safety of their workers. Hammar & Dodson (2012) connotes that safety controls for asbestos began in the early 1980s after signs of asbestos poisoning were realized. Before then there were no hygienic controls for asbestos.

Asbestos is an element of air pollution. It is harmful to human health. It causes lung cancer alongside other cancers. All people are exposed. Measures ought to be instituted to prevent asbestos hazards.

Reference

Environment Protection Agency. (1999).Alaska air toxic and emission inventory. State of Alaska: Division of Air Quality.

Hammar, S.P. & Dodson, R.F. (2012). Asbestos: Risk assessment epidemiology and health effects (2^nded). USA: CRC Press.

National Cancer Institute (2009). Asbestos exposure and cancer risk. Bethesda, USA: National Institutes of Health.