MPM is a rare cancer with strong invasion, difficult to cure, high mortality and poor prognosis. According to WHO estimates, 90,000 people worldwide suffer from MPM every year, and the culprit is asbestos, which we are familiar with.
Asbestos is the general name of natural fibrous silicate minerals, and its name consists of "stone" and "cotton": "stone" refers to natural minerals and "cotton" refers to fibrous filaments, from which we can imagine its appearance.
Asbestos is the only natural mineral fiber found in the world at present, which consists of many slender fiber crystals, and each slender fiber crystal is composed of many tiny fibrils.
The formation of asbestos is closely related to the environment. In the initial stage of formation, hot rocks with relatively low underground temperature flow into the cracks in the rock stratum. Subsequently, the temperature of the hot rock slowly decreased. In the process of cooling, the hot rock is continuously squeezed and stretched by the horizontal movement of the rock stratum, and finally changes from flake to filament.
/kloc-In the mid-9th century, with the development of mining technology, asbestos mines were discovered all over the world, which greatly increased the output of asbestos. At the same time, because asbestos has excellent heat resistance and insulation, its application has also expanded from cloth to thousands of items in all walks of life.
For example, asbestos can be used as building materials, such as roof tiles, ceilings, floor tiles, house siding, friction materials, such as automobile clutch pads, resin, fillers for plastic and asphalt pavements, industrial furnaces and heating systems, packaging materials and paints ... In short, asbestos is almost everywhere in your life.
However, this easy-to-use asbestos is very fragile, forming a large number of fiber blocks and tiny fibers and releasing them into the air, which will cause a series of health problems after inhalation, such as fibrous lung disease, lung cancer, mesothelioma and so on. There have been many incidents in history, and hundreds of workers suffered from related diseases due to asbestos pollution.
After realizing the harm of asbestos, 66 countries in the world have completely banned asbestos, including the United States, Canada and Japan. At present, China is the second largest producer and consumer of asbestos in the world. Dr. Chen Tianhui from Zhejiang Academy of Medical Sciences and his team appealed in the paper: "It is urgent for developing countries to completely ban asbestos."
Some netizens once asked us: "There is a shabby old house with asbestos tile roof near my hometown. During the summer vacation, my parents-in-law take their sons to play nearby every day. Since knowing the harm of asbestos, I have been on tenterhooks all day, and I don't know if this is harmful to his health. "
Although asbestos has health risks, it is not always harmful, especially under static conditions. Like the situation encountered by netizens, if the ventilation is good and the roof is naturally weathered, but it is not serious, then the concentration of asbestos fiber is very low, and the harm to the human body caused by inhalation in a short time can be ignored.
Asbestos itself does not cause cancer, but asbestos fibers that appear after asbestos is destroyed. Asbestos fiber is as strong as steel wire. After inhaling into the lungs, it will not be discharged, but will slowly deposit and increase, eventually causing diffuse lung fibers, and then developing into asbestos lung. What's more, the harm of asbestos can lurk for decades. As time goes on, the fiber will be wrapped by new tissues formed in the lungs, and gradually become cancerous, leading to mesothelioma, laryngeal cancer, ovarian cancer and so on.
Nowadays, WHO has designated asbestos as a first-class carcinogen, and the American Conference of Industrial Hygiene Experts, the American National Toxicology Project and the European Union have also listed asbestos as the highest-class carcinogen. Asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma caused by asbestos are listed as occupational diseases in China.
Professor Ye Qiao, director of the Occupational Diseases Department of Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, once treated an asbestos patient. He has always insisted that he has never been exposed to asbestos. But a careful recall, he remembered that asbestos board was installed on the balcony when his home was renovated a few years ago. I thought I could keep warm, but I didn't expect to "harm" myself in the end.
Asbestos can be seen everywhere in life, and many people are unconsciously exposed to asbestos. So, how to avoid asbestos exposure?
1. Dust removal frequently
Whether living or working environment, dust should be removed regularly to reduce the time and frequency of exposure to asbestos dust.
Do a good job of protection
When engaged in asbestos work, wear protective clothing and masks, shower and change clothes after leaving the workplace, and then contact with others.
3. Stay away from construction garbage dumps
Don't stay in places with more asbestos dust for a long time, such as construction sites and sales points of asbestos products. If necessary, you must wear a protective mask to reduce the inhalation of asbestos dust.
4. More ventilation
The home environment should be ventilated, especially if it has just been renovated or replaced with new furniture. We must do a good job of ventilation and adopt scientific methods to accelerate the convection of indoor air.
5. Use asbestos substitutes
The best way to avoid the harm of asbestos is not to use asbestos. There are many substitutes for asbestos on the market now, which have the same advantages as asbestos, but are harmless to human body and can be considered for use.
With the popularity of asbestos hazards, more and more people realize the importance of using asbestos carefully. Although asbestos has not been completely banned in China at present, we can try our best to reduce the contact with asbestos in our daily life through personal efforts. Have you learned?
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