The Mesothelioma Risks of Power Plant Workers

asbestos dust is a toxic material that can cause dangerous health problems like mesothelioma. In most cases, industrial workers unknowingly exposed while at work, often for an extended period. Fortunately, many industrialized countries have approved the prohibition of asbestos, although the United States has chosen to regulate the toxic material despite many efforts to ban asbestos completely.

"A Retrospective Assessment of asbestos in the air among industrial workers supply," a recent study, we analyzed the extended exposure to asbestos German power plant workers. Asbestos was commonly used in the isolation of power plants to protect sensitive equipment and cables from the intense heat associated with power generation.

The study looked at 8. 632 still active or former employees of the power plant who were exposed due to rupture of asbestos in the insulation of power turbines or during application of paste asbestos at work.

The results showed that 94 percent of the workers were exposed to asbestos at work, most often during the overhaul and repair of power turbines. Many of the workers were exposed to an average of 20 to 21 years.

The most striking result of the tests showed that 82 percent of the power workers have not established security measures in their workplaces. The protective measures recommended a sponge or wet cloth in his mouth and nose to avoid inhaling or ingesting asbestos fibers. This method is not totally effective in preventing the exhibition, which presents risks to health and scientific studies directly related to the cause of malignant mesothelioma to exposure to asbestos fibers.

The dust samples taken by the corporations of these employees worked on showed that 96 percent of them contained chrysotile, a deadly form of asbestos. Conditions such as these made the air in power plants potentially deadly to humans.

Study investigators concluded that employees of the power generation, were a group at high risk of developing mesothelioma due to exposure to asbestos. Their workplaces were poorly ventilated and did not provide protective measures and technical staff. Hazardous conditions such as these where the asbestos is in the air can lead to an increased risk of developing lung disease such as mesothelioma.