Image asbestos fiber in lung & more

Updated Friday, September 29, 2017

with additional information about Macrophages, a type of white blood cell, and  IARC and WHO, and other references.

My Ministry of Environment File #172142

My SAFER number #79089

My WorkSafeBC File (Prevention) #17624

My WorkSafeBC File (Claim) (undisclosed)

Asbestos in lungs with macrophage

I use US CDC Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
as a reliable source of information. In my opinion WorkSafeBC is more than inept, they are incompetent. Another US based information source I use is MedlinePlus. It is the US National Institutes of Health's Web (NIH) site for patients and their families and friends. Produced by the National Library of Medicine, the world’s largest medical library, it brings you information about diseases, conditions, and wellness issues in language you can understand. MedlinePlus offers reliable, up-to-date health information, anytime, anywhere, for free.

The IARC and WHO designate airborne particulates a Group 1 carcinogen.^[7] Particulates are the deadliest form of air pollution due to their ability to penetrate deep into the lungs and blood streams unfiltered, causing permanent DNA mutations, heart attacks, and premature death.^[8] In 2013, a study involving 312,944 people in nine European countries revealed that there was no safe level of particulates and that for every increase of 10 μg/m³ in PM₁₀, the lung cancer rate rose 22%. The smaller PM_2.5 were particularly deadly, with a 36% increase in lung cancer per 10 μg/m³ as it can penetrate deeper into the lungs.^[9]  - from Wikipedia.

Many people think that asbestos fibres get into our bloodstream directly from our lungs. It is a little more complicated than that. The macrophage is a large white blood cell that is an integral part of our immune system. Its job is to locate microscopic foreign bodies and 'eat' them. Macrophages use the process of phagocytosis to engulf particles and then digest them. However, asbestos fibres can never be 'digested'. Macrophages, along with those asbestos fibres, are then disposed of in the digestive track. That is how and where most asbestos fibers get into our blood streams, to then be circulated throughout our bodies. I say again, for us, most asbestos absorption is from the intestines.

At present I am referred to Lions Gate Hospital where I am being tested for most everything to do with my respiratory illness, including an MRI. Indeed, I have been undergoing Pulmonary function tests and other respiratory testing in Lions Gate Hospital for close to a year, beginning in November, 2016. Among other things they will be looking for evidence of Mesothelioma Cancer , resulting from my exposure in Bentall Centre, 25 years ago, in 1992. There are other Asbestos-related diseases, in addition to Mesothelioma Cancer .  The Latency Period for asbestos related illnesses is 15 to 40 years (3:12 minute YouTube Video [https://youtu.be/iC-A3H9SeMI]).

However, I am hopeful that I only have COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease). Although some treatments are suggested, they are at best minimal, all are uncomfortable. Life expectancy with a diagnosis of Mesothelioma Cancer is 12 to 18 months, choking all he way. There is nothing that I can do. There is no cure. There is no treatment that will do anything other than prolong the suffering.

The medical community can try, but they have a pollyannaish viewpoint, trying always to look on the bright side, not the realistic side: IE:

"Treatments for Lung Cancer and Mesothelioma
If you have lung cancer or mesothelioma, your treatment may include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and/or targeted therapy. (Targeted therapy uses medicines or other substances to find and attack specific lung cancer cells without harming normal cells.)
Your doctor may prescribe medicines to prevent fluid buildup, ease pain, or relieve other complications of your disease.

If you have lung cancer or Mesothelioma, talk with your doctor about whether you should get flu and pneumonia vaccines. These vaccines can help lower your risk for lung infections.". - National Institutes of Health (NIH ) - Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ ) and (division) National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) - NHLBI, NIH

Below from:
Statistics Canada [http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/82-625-x/2014001/article/11896-eng.htm]
“In the 65-and-over age group, where the number of death is most numerous, deaths due to chronic conditions were among the top five leading causes of death. Cancer and heart disease accounted for nearly half of the deaths in this age group, followed by stroke at 6%, chronic lower respiratory diseases, at 5%, and Alzheimer’s disease, at 3%. Note that for the 85-and-over category, heart disease outranked cancer and Alzheimer’s disease surpassed chronic lower respiratory diseases.

Chart 1 Percentage distribution for the 5 leading causes of death in Canada, 2011”

I had earlier requested some information from the CDC:

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Fries, Marisa L. (CDC/NIOSH/NPPTL) <vpw4@cdc.gov>
Date: 25 September 2017 at 10:30
Subject: RE: Topic: Respirator inquiry to NIOSH [ref:_00DU0YCBU._500t07UdUC:ref]
To: "stanwebb@gmail.com" <stanwebb@gmail.com>
Cc: "Sherman, Carla D. (CDC/NIOSH/EID)" <cds4@cdc.gov>

Hello,

This email is in response to your inquiry to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Your question was forwarded to the National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory (NPPTL) for reply and below is our response.

Asbestos-containing materials that aren’t damaged or disturbed are not likely to pose a health risk. Generally, asbestos-containing material that is in good condition and not being disturbed (by remodeling, repair work, cutting, tearing, sanding, sawing, drilling or scraping for example) will not release asbestos fibers. (https://www.epa.gov/asbestos/protect-your-family). Asbestos-containing materials may release fibers when they are disturbed, damaged, or removed improperly. Removal and repair of asbestos-containing materials must be done by trained and accredited asbestos professionals who will take the necessary steps to contain any asbestos fibers that are released to a specific area to which entry is limited to authorized personnel.

NIOSH does not approve respirators for personal use. In order to select the correct respirator, one needs to know all the contaminants that may be present and their concentrations. The various respirator types have maximum use concentrations (the Assigned Protection Factor times the Exposure limit). In general, the type of respirator to use against asbestos is dependent on the concentration of the asbestos and size of the fibers.

The minimum level of respiratory allowed by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations on workers exposed to asbestos is an elastomeric half facepiece respirator with P100 filters (https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=standards&p_id=9995). OSHA does not allow the use of filtering facepiece respirators in atmospheres containing more than 0.1 fiber per cubic centimeter of air (0.1 fiber/cm³). Since half facepiece respirators have a Assigned Protection Factor equal to 10, they can be used in atmospheres containing up to 1 fiber/cm³. Levels greater than 1 fiber/cm³ require the use of respirators with higher Assigned Protection Factors such as powered air-purifying respirators or supplied air respirators.

Additional guidance about Asbestos can be found on NIOSH’s Asbestos topic page https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/asbestos/default.html

Information is available on the OSHA Fact Sheet for Formaldehydehttps://www.osha.gov/OshDoc/data_General_Facts/formaldehyde-factsheet.pdf. N95 filtering facepiece respirators do not provide protection against gas and vapor exposures and should not be used for protection in places where hazardous gases (such as formaldehyde) or vapors are present.

NIOSH cannot recommend specific manufacturers or a specific model of personal protective equipment (PPE) for purchasing decisions. We can only provide general guidance on the criteria you should consider in making PPE purchases. We recommend you contact the PPE manufacturer with specific questions about your PPE needs.

Breathing through a respirator is harder than breathing in open air. Before you begin using a respirator, one should be medically cleared. This means that a medical professional makes sure that you don’t have any breathing problems that might make it dangerous to wear a respirator. Elastomeric half facepiece respirators require a good seal to a person’s face to provide the expected level. Therefore, they must be fit tested to determine the adequacy of the seal of the make, model and size of the respirator to be worn.

Visit our Respirator Trusted-Source Webpage (http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/topics/respirators/disp_part/RespSource.html) to learn about the types of respirators, how to identify approved models and outlets for purchase, and how to use them appropriately.

Thank you again for contacting us with your inquiry.

I hope this information is helpful.

Thank you,

Marisa Fries

ORISE Fellow

Surveillance and Interventions Team, Research Branch

NIOSH, National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory

Pittsburgh, PA 15236

mfries@cdc.gov

From: Sherman, Carla D. (CDC/NIOSH/EID) Sent: Monday, September 18, 2017 2:53 PMTo: PPE Concerns (CDC) <PPEConcerns@cdc.gov>Subject: FW: RESPONSE REQUIRED: Topic: Respirator Escalation Req, Priority: Medium, Mode: Email [ref:_00DU0YCBU._500t07UdUC:ref]

From: CDC-INFO Response (CDC) Sent: Monday, September 18, 2017 2:52 PMTo: NIOSH Cincinnati EID Technical Information (CDC) <eidtechinfo@cdc.gov>Subject: RESPONSE REQUIRED: Topic: Respirator Escalation Req, Priority: Medium, Mode: Email [ref:_00DU0YCBU._500t07UdUC:ref]

------------------------------------ Case Description ------------------------------------
Stan Webb
stanwebb@gmail.com
6049888415
9/15/17 4:00 PM
 
GP- Will the respirator protect her from asbestos and formaldehyde and if so which would be the best one to use? 
Caller Comments: It will be worn in a building for a nursing home for older people. The chemical they will be exposed 

to is Asbestos and formaldehyde
Agent Notes: Escalated as per PR 11040
Verified:

...............

Most of you know that I am an author, photojournalist and educator.  My first book was published in New York in 1982

 and I have had hundreds of other professional articles published, as well.

You know that I delve into dark and deep places like the Cascadia Megaquake© which is past due and expected any day now, and Respiratory Illness© which I presently have. These things can all get quite depressing and I want you to know that I do keep them in balance with all of the beauty and light that is around us, always. So I also Breath Colour, Eat Colour, Feel Colour, Live Colour, See Colour, Smell Colour on my artistic photography website Stan G.Webb - In Retirement ©. I've even won some awards ie: Over Lynn Valley

Four of my other favorites are:

>> Sound On >> Best viewed Full Screen >> Darkened Room

1. An Orange & Wet Day [https://stangwebb.blogspot.ca/2015/07/orange-wet-day_11.html ]
2. Honeysuckle & Lilacs - On the Hunt for Day and Night Pollinators & Grazers, A Photographic Study in the Rain [https://stangwebb.blogspot.ca/2015/07/honeysuckle-lilacs-on-hunt-for-day-and_29.html ]
3. Passion Flowers at Dusk [https://stangwebb.blogspot.ca/2015/06/passion-flowers-at-dusk.html ] - You will notice that some of the photographs in this photo study are quite dim. It was getting dark and I was hoping to catch some of the night pollinators: ants, bats, moths etc. and I did not want bright light to scare them away. 
4. Spring Rhapsody – A Photographic Study and Slideshow [http://stangwebb.blogspot.ca/2015/05/spring-rhapsody-photographic-study-and.html ]

asbestos in lungs with macrophage