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Asbestos & Mesothelioma
Asbestos is a fibrous mineral that is available freely in nature. Some of the largest asbestos mines are found in the countries of Canada, USA, Russia, and South Africa.
This mineral is very strong and can be easily molded like cotton. It is highly resistant to fire, acids and other materials. There are generally two forms of asbestos which are serpentine and amphibole. Both of these forms are made of impure magnesium silicate. What is common to both of these forms is their innate strength and resistance to fire, acid and other chemicals. Another common characteristic of these asbestos fibers is that when some disturbance and pressure is applied on these fibers then they start splitting into smaller and thinner strands. As the disturbance is increased then these fibers continue to further divide into the smaller strands. The splitting continues even up till the microscopic levels are achieved. As result of this the asbestos fibers remain airborne and their minute size enables them to enter the human body superseding all the natural defenses of the human body.
Exposure to asbestos is the main reason behind the cancer of mesothelioma. The asbestos fibers get lodged in the mesothelium membrane which forms a protective covering around majority of the human body’s internal organs. These asbestos fibers have a long period of latency which allows them to stay dormant in the mesothelium membrane. After such a long time it starts interfering with the normal functioning of the mesothelial cells that result in the formation of cancerous tissues. These cancerous tissues result in the bloating of the membrane and building up of fluid that ultimately lead to the development of symptoms that are like fever and cough, breathlessness, coughing up of blood, etc. |
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