I've had a skin condition for a while now (warts on my hands). Because one day i accidentally hit the wall and made a hole. (its been 3 years). I put a poster to cover the hole. I just figured out that the hole potentially had asbestos,because theres warts all over my hands and legs. Im in Canada. I was wondering if i'll get really sick and if theres asbestos in my house. We bought it new in 1999. Thanks =[
i just learned that asbestos still isnt banned in canada. Jeez worst week of my life .
http://www.ringsurf.com/online/2062-asbestos_poisoning.html

Many people have found that they are simply are not as aware of the complications related to asbestos exposure as they should have been. Because of this, some have been diagnosed with lung cancer only to find out later that their illness has been a result of exposure to asbestos. Even if you do not currently have any medical problems, it might be a good idea to think back through the past ten or twenty years to determine whether there was a time when you may have been exposed to high levels of asbestos. In extreme cases, some symptoms will not manifest until up to sixty years later. If so, you should know to keep an extra close eye on your health. If you start to experience any of the signs and symptoms related to asbestos exposure visit your doctor immediately. Some of the symptoms may include anemia, back pain, chest pain, persistent coughing, enlarged abdomen, fever, hoarseness, recurrent build-up of fluid in the lungs, shortness of breath and weight loss.

You might initially experience a dry cough that will not go away, and you could end up having breathing problems. Upon further testing, there is a chance that lung cancer might be diagnosed, more specifically Mesothelioma. While there is no absolute cure for cancer, it is important to remember that there are treatments that can possibly send the cancer into remission. Many people have lived for years after being diagnosed with lung cancer. The determining factor is often when the cancer is diagnosed, what treatments are performed and the strength of the person going through the treatments.

You will want to make sure that you are keeping yourself and your family away from asbestos when at all possible. Avoid old buildings that are in need of repair. Miners and workers who are responsible for removing old building materials have a high risk of being exposed to asbestos, so it is important to make sure that you are using the proper equipment, from breathing masks to whole body suits. This is the best way to make sure that you and your loved ones will not be exposed to asbestos. Remember that you can bring asbestos home on your clothes, putting your children at risk for developing lung cancer in the future.

For those who have been exposed to high levels of asbestos, it is important to make sure that you are doing what you need to do in order to stay as healthy as possible. Consult with your doctor. Explain the history of your exposure to asbestos and what your concerns are. Request tests be performed to check the condition of your lungs. Make sure that you have not developed lung cancer.

You have good reason to suspect something could be wrong and are entitled to the tests that can save your life. Ask for them. Insist on being scanned for lung cancer. If it turns out that you are fine, make sure that you go back for periodic checkups because you never know if lung cancer will form later on.

People of the modern world are still being exposed to trace amount of asbestos even to this day. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission had banned the use of asbestos in gas fireplaces as well as in wallboard patching supplies since the 1970s. These products were found to release excessive amounts of asbestos into the environment. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also put out a ban on all new uses of asbestos in 1989. However, all asbestos uses that had already been established prior to this date are still legally allowed. Therefore, people today are still being exposed to asbestos, albeit not as extensively as the people living during the earlier centuries were.

The U.S. EPA has stipulated that there is no safe level of exposure to asbestos. In keeping with its regulatory laws against the use of asbestos, the EPA has set forth an asbestos concentration limit of 7M fibers per Liter of drinking water. This holds true for fibers with at least 5 um in length. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has also put out their own limit, which is lower than the one set by the EPA. For an 8 hour shift in any workplace within a 40 hour per week timeframe, OSHA set the asbestos exposure limit at 100,000 fibers per cubic meter. Although exposure to asbestos cannot be totally eliminated, these limits that have been set by authorities help ensure that exposure to such are at its minimum.

The best screening tools to use to determine whether a person has been exposed to asbestos are a thorough and directed physical exam and a simple chest radiograph. Levels of asbestos fibers can be detected in the urine, stools, saliva and mouth washings. Tissue biopsy can reveal high levels of asbestos fibers and can confirm exposure. These procedures however cannot determine who among the individuals who screened positively for exposure to asbestos will develop asbestosis, malignant mesothelioma and other asbestos related diseases. The long latency period between exposure and the earliest manifestations of symptoms makes matters worse. Studies have shown that the average latency period between exposure to asbestos and the development of lung cancer is about 15 years. For both malignant mesothelioma and asbestosis, it has been shown that the latency period is even longer. This may even reach up to 40 years.

Smoking in combination with asbestos exposure has been shown to significantly increase the likelihood of a person developing cancer of the lung. A smoker who has history of asbestos exposure is as much as 90 times more likely to develop lung cancer as compared to individuals who have not been exposed and who are non-smokers. Studies further show that individuals who have been exposed to asbestos and who have quit smoking for more than 5 years effectively decreased their likelihood of developing lung cancer by as much as half. Individuals who work in professions that have the highest risk for asbestos exposure should be made aware of this fact and should therefore be warned not to smoke.

People are still being exposed to asbestos today. Even with the regulatory laws in place to keep exposure at its minimum, people should take it upon themselves to follow precautionary measures to ensure that they are safe from the hazardous effects of asbestos.

the house im in has old asbestos tiles that are painted white apparently and there is mold and dirt from my dogs all on them in different areas.how should i clean this safely?????

If you have been exposed to asbestos, then you are at risk for contracting any number of medical conditions, including pleural disease. Pleural disease occurs when the tissue lining the lungs becomes scarred and as a result lung use is restricted. This typically means that the person suffering from pleural disease has limited breathing capability. In short, this disease causes harm to normal lung function. There is a change in the secretion of lubrication, which can lead to a change in pressure within the chest cavity. You could ultimately have lung inflammation, difficulty breathing and other major lung problems.

Generally, with pleural disease, you will find that there is a significant amount of tissue scarring in the pleura. There are, in fact, four different types of pleural disease: pleurisy, pneumothorax, pleural mesothelioma and pleural effusions. If you believe you are suffering from pleural disease, make sure that you learn about the four different types of pleural disease. In addition, you will be better able to understand the details of your condition and have improved communication with your doctor if you are diagnosed with pleural disease and familiar with the various forms.

Pleurisy involves the inflammation of the pleura. This can be caused by pneumonia, tumors, viral infections and lung blood clots. You may have sharp pains in the area of the chest that seem to get worse when you breathe deeply. You may also experience a significant amount of coughing with this condition along with a multitude of other symptoms.

Pneumothorax is a condition that allows air to escape from the lung into the pleura space. When air enters this space, there is an interference with how well the function of the pleura works. This means that the lungs could collapse.

Another pleural disease that you have may have heard of is called pleural mesothelioma. This is a serious, life-threatening cancer caused by asbestos exposure. This form of mesothelioma usually spreads within the chest cavity, but can occur in any organ, including the brain. The onset is typically slow with the most common presenting symptom being persistent pain localized in the chest. Additional symptoms include difficulty breathing, weight loss and fever.

Pleural effusion is the type of pleural disease that is the most common out of all four. It is characterized by an abnormal amount of fluid that builds up in the cavity of the pleura.

It is important to make sure that you are doing your best to avoid any and all exposure to asbestos whenever possible. You want to make sure that you are getting regular check-ups if you believe you have been exposed to asbestos, and, if you ever feel that you may be showing signs and symptoms of any pleural disease, visit your doctor immediately. You will want to request that any and all tests and scans are performed by your doctor in order to make sure that you are healthy and that any developing condition is caught in its early stages. Inform your doctor about whether you have been exposed to asbestos and what your health concerns are regarding your exposure.

Workers in occupations involved in that manufacture and use of asbestos products were the subject of numerous epidemiological studies prior to 1986 when stringent new laws were imposed regulating this substance. One conclusion of these studies was that these workers had a greatly increased risk of lung cancer. Can you think of another possible reason that might explain such findings and how this could be verified or disproved?

Neuroblastoma stage 4 is the most advanced stage of the neuroblastoma cancer. It means that the disease has spread to other areas of the body, like the liver or bone marrow, and the prognosis is not always good.

If you are the parent of a child diagnosed with neuroblastoma in the fourth stage, read on for an overview of the disease, information on stage 4 and how the disease is treated.

A Neuroblastoma Overview

Approximately 650 cases of neuroblastoma are diagnosed every year in the U.S. It's the third most common kind of cancer in children and the most frequent form in infants. Approximately 90 percent of all cases of neuroblastoma are diagnosed in children aged 6 and under.

About 30% of all neuroblastoma cases begin in the adrenal glands, another 30% start in the ganglia of the abdomen's sympathetic nervous system, and the majority of the remainder begin in the neck's sympathetic ganglia, chest or pelvis.

Rates for Five-Year Survival

The five-year survival rate for infants (under the age of 1) is 83%, while it is 55% for children between the ages of 1 to 4, and 40% for older children.

But children with stage 4 neuroblastoma normally have much lower survival rates. They hover between 50% and 80% for infants (under a year old) and drop to 15% for children over the age of 1.

Treatments Used for Stage 4 of Neuroblastoma

Children who are diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma are considered high risk. They are typically subjected to intensive, high-dosage chemotherapy accompanied by surgery and stem cell transplantations. Typically though, surgery is the first step unless the neuroblastoma has spread too far.

In most cases, treatment involves a combination of medications. The main drugs used to treat children with neuroblastoma are cisplatin, vincristine, cyclophosphamide, etoposide and topotecan. These drugs produce a positive response in two thirds of children.

In certain cases, particularly when the cancer has spread too far to be completely removed by surgery - as is the case with the fourth stage of neuroblastoma - chemotherapy is the primary treatment.

Bone Marrow Transplantation and Blood Stem Cell Transplantation

Because high-dosage chemotherapy will wipe out bone marrow, new blood cells are no longer being developed, so children are at a high risk. Because kids diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma must often undergo intense chemotherapy sessions, they should also be prepared for a bone marrow transplant and/or a secondary blood stem cell transplant.

Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy has been used in the past to destroy any neuroblastoma cells that remain behind after surgery. It's also used to shrink tumors.

However, in many instances of late-stage and advanced neuroblastoma, it's rarely used unless it's implemented as a pain-management tool or in conjunction with chemotherapy.

Children facing cancer of any type are in such a vulnerable position. The earlier in life a malignant diagnosis, the great the prospect of survival. Parents who suspect the potential for this cancer should obtain confirmation from a trusted oncologist specializing in the disease.