Why is asbestos dangerous?

Answer 1

The fibres of asbestos can become small enough to enter the Alveoli of the lungs, once there the bodies defenses try to dissolve them with enzymes (acid). Asbestos is however acid resistant, the fibres are too long to be engulfed by the Macrophage (white blood cell), this results in the enzyme leaking into the lung causing fibrosis (scaring) of the lung, resulting in a slow painful death for which there is no current cure.

Answer 2

Asbestos fibers are dangerous because they can cause asbestosis (lung scarring) lung cancer, and mesothelioma (another form of cancer). The mechanism by which asbestos produces cancer is not fully understood.

Answer 3

Asbestos is known to be harmful if inhaled. This is because of its shape and nature. Each asbestos fiber is spear-like in shape. When inhaled, the fibers stick to the lining of your lungs. This causes scarring and over time, tumors begin to form. This often leads to mesothelioma.

Some studies suggest it may also be harmful if ingested, as with water, but there is less support for that conclusion.

Answer 4

Its fibers can get into your body via breathing or eating. Then can cause throat, lung or intestine cancer. Its fibers can also wriggle into your lungs and cause asbestosis. The only cure is a lung transplant. If the fibers pass through the lungs into the plural or abdominal cavities they can cause a cancer called mesothelioma.

Answer 5

Its fibers can get into your body via breathing or eating. Then can cause throat, lung or intestine cancer. Its fibers can also wriggle into your lungs and cause Mesopotamia. The only cure is a lung transplant.

Answer 6

Asbestos is dangerous because, if inhaled in sufficient amounts over a sufficient period of time, it can cause asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma. Asbestosis is a crippling disease that results in scarring of lung tissue. lung cancer and mesothelioma are cancers.
Asbestos is mined fibrous mineral that becomes dangerous when it is rendered "friable" or in other words is broken down due to some type of disturbance. Friability is defined by the ability for the asbestos containing material to be crushed by hand pressure. The more friable an asbestos containing mateiral the higher probability it can be damaged to the point of releasing asbestos fibers into the air (imagine the difference between acoustic ceiling texture and a vinyl flooring tile). Airborne asbestos fibers present the danger of inhalation or ingestion which is how diseases develop in people exposed to these fibers. The latency period for the vast majority of asbestos related disease cases is well over twenty years. The most common diseases are asbestosis, mesothelioma (small cell lung cancer) and lung cancer. Smokers are much more likely to develop asbestos related diseases as their mucoid elevator (mechanism that removed debris from the lungs) has been compromised. Asbestos use can be tracked back to the time of the Roman Empire and is still used today despite the misconseption it has been banned (although it is found much less frequently in modern materials compared to its peak use between 1930-1985).

Answer 7

Asbestos is dangerous because, if a person breathes in enough of it over a long enough period of time, that person is more likely to develop asbestosis (lung scarring), lung cancer, or mesothelioma.