The U.S. Department of Labor estimates about 1.3 million people contracting either asbestosis, lung cancer or mesothelioma in the coming years.Asbestosis, a chronic respiratory disease, attacks the respiratory track and is fatal. Mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer caused by asbestos exposure, attacks the lungs, chest, or the heart and has a death rate of about six to twelve months after the symptoms appear.
There is no cure for either disease.
In nature, asbestos occurs in six different forms, and was widely used in many industries until the last half of the 20th century. By the year 1940, it was totally banned in about 40 countries of Europe and the United States. However, asbestos is still present in manufactured goods and is considered dangerous to human life.
To ease the suffering of this large number of people, scientists from Ohio University are trying to establish individual bondage of the asbestos fiber and the human cell. They are using ‘Atomic Force Microscopy’ to study how a single asbestos fiber attaches itself with the cell surface in the lining of the organs.
According to the research, this study has been a type of Braille work between the two ends of the physical bond between the fiber and the cell. The scientists are feeling and observing how the asbestos links with the human cells.
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