Document RJYXE4Yk6znyZDbDrwMBX21Yn

MEDICAL DATA RELATED TO ASBESTO: XPOSUKE TO ASBESTOS MAY INCREASE THE RISK OF FOUR SERIOUS DISEASES ASBESTOS IS LUNG CANCER MESOTHELIOMA OTHER CANCERS HOW DOES ASBESTOS CAUSE DISEASE? THE ANSWER IS NOT KNOWN. ASBESTOS FIBERS TOO FINE TO BE SEEN BY THE HUMAN YE BECOME AIRBORNE AND ARE INHALED OR SWALLOWED. BECAUSt OF THEIR SIZE AND SHAPE. ASBESTOS FIBERS CAN PENETRATE BODY TISSUE. BECAUSE THEY ARE ALMOST INDESTRUCTIBLE BY THE BODY. THEY CAN REMAIN THERE FOR MANY YEARS AFTER ENTRY. HOW MUCH ASBESTOS EXPOSURE IS HAZARDOUS? THE ANSWER IS NOT KNOWN. THE TIME BETWEEN THE FIRST EXPOSURE AND THE APPEARANCE OF DISEASE APPEARS RELATED TO BOTH THE AMOUNT AND DURATION OF EXPOSURE. MOST OFTEN THE DISEASE WILL APPEAR WITHIN 15 YEARS. HOWEVER. ONE STUDY OF WORKERS IN AN ASBESTOS PLANT SHOWED THAT SOME WORKERS WHO WERE EXPOSED ONLY A MONTH OR TWO HAVE DEVELOPED ASBESTOS-RELATED DISEASES MANY YEARS LATER. CONFIDENTIAL 005617 dHAI ARE THE SIGNS AND_SYMPTOMS OF ASBESTOSES? ASBESTOS IS IS A CHRONIC LUNG DISEASE WHOSE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS RESULT FROM PERMANENT CHANGES IN LUNG TISSUE. THh EARUESI SIGN IS SHORTNESS OF BREATH ON EXERTION. A DRY CRACKLING SOUND, COMING FROM THE LUN6S DURING INHALATION, IS THE MOST CHARACTERISTIC PHYSICAL SIGN OF ASBtSTOSIS, "ASBESTOS IS - MINIMUM EXPOSURE OF 10 YEARS IS USUALLY REQUIRED FOR DEVELOPMENT OF DISEASE. - FIBER TYPE IS A FACTOR. - DOSE RELATIONSHIP EXISTS; THE MORE EXPOSURE, THE MORE SERIOUS THE RISK OF DEVELOPING DISEASE. WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF LUNG CANCER? A COUGH, OR A CHANGE IN COUGH HABIT, IS FOUND IN MOST LUNG CANCER PATIENTS. CHEST PAIN IS THE SECOND MOST COMMON SYMPTOM. IT IS USUALLY FELT AS A PERSISTENT ACHE UNRELATED TO COUGH. PITIAI UUbb'ltfi LUNG CANCER - MINIMUM OF 15-20 YEARS BETWEEN THE FIRST EXPOSURE AND DEVELOPMENT OF DISEASE. - ASBESTOS ALONE INCREASES THE RISK OF DEVELOPING LUNG CANCER. - ASBESTOS AND CIGARETTE SMOKING TOGETHER INCREASE LUNG CANCER RISK FIVE-FOLD OVER THE ALREADY HIGH RISK DUE TC SMOKING. A PERSON WHO SMOKES AND IS EXPOSED TO ASBESTOS IS 30-90 TIMES MORE LIKELY TO DEVELOP LUNG CANCER THAN NON-EXPOSED NONSMOKEKS. WHAT IS MESOTHELIOMA? MESOTHELIOMA IS AN EXTREMELY RARE CANCER IN THE GENERAL POPULATION, BUT IS MORE COMMON AMONG ASBESTOS WORKERS. IT AFFECTS THE PLEURA, A MEMBRANE LINING THE CHEST CAVITY, OR THE PERITONEUM, A SIMILAR MEMBRANE LINING THE ABDOMINAL CAVITY. EIGHTY PERCEN1 OF MESOTHELIOMA CASES CAN BE TRACED TO.PRIOR ASBESTOS EXPOSURE. MESOTHELIOMAS - THERE IS NO ASSOCIATION WITH SMOKING. - SHORT-TERM EXPOSURE OF 1-2 YEARS OR LESS CAN CAUSt THIS DISEASE, BUT USUALLY THE ILLNESS OCCURS 20-25 YEARS LATER. CONFIDENTIAL 005619 HOW IS MESOTHELIOMA DETECTED AND DIAGNOSED? THE MOST COMMON FIRST SYMPTOM MAY BE SHORTNESS OF BREATH OR PAIN IN IhE WALL OF THE CHEST AGGRAVATED BY DEEP BREATHING, OR ABDOMINAL PAIN, WHICH MAY BE A VAGUE DISCOMFORT OR A SEVERE SPASM. *01 HER CANCERS STUDIES INDICATE A LINK BETWEEN ASBESTOS EXPOSURE AND INCREASED OCCURRENCE OF CANCER OF THE: ESOPHAGUS STOMACH COLON RECTUM *SYMPTQMS TO BE AWARE OF: - THE FIRST SYMPTOM IS DIFFICULTY BREATHING ON EXERTION, SHORTNESS OF BREATH. - COUGH OR CHANGE IN COUGH PATTERN (Ex. A DRY COUGH MAY BECOME PRODUCTIVE IN A SMOKER). - PAIN IN CHEST OR ABDOMEN. -DIFFICULTY SWALLOWING OR PROLONGED HOARSENESS. CONFIDENTIAL 005620 HOW IS ASBESTOS IS DIAGNOSED? SPECIAL CHEST X-RAY LUNG FUNCTION TEST PHYSICAL EXAMINATION HISTORY OF EXPOSURE IS AN ASBESTOS-RELATED DISEASE COMPENS1BLE? INDIVIDUALS WHO SUFFER ASBESTOS-RELATED DISEASES AS A RESULT OF EMPLOYMENT MAY HAVE A RIGHT TO ASSISTANCE UNDER A WORKERS COMPENSATION LAW. FEDERAL REGULATIONS REQUIRE WORK EXPOSURES AND MEDICAL RECORDS OF INDIVIDUALS WHO WERE EXPOSED TO ASBESTOS BE KEPT FOR 20 YEARS AFTER TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT. THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT KEEPS ALL ASBESTOS-RELATED MEDICAL TESTS FOR THAT TIME. *HOW CAN WORKERS PROTECT THEMSELVES FROM ASBESTOS-RELATED DISEASES? - USE ALL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT, WORK PRACTICES, AND SAFETY PROCEDURES PROVIDED. - DO NOT SMOKE OR EAT IN ASBESTOS EXPOSURE AREAS. - IF YOU SMOKE CIGARETTES, STOP. CONFIDENTIAL UUbbZi WHAI DOES SNET DO FOR MEDICAL SURVEILLANCE? THL MEDICAL DEPARTMENT PROCEDURES FOR ASBESTOS SURVEILLANCE INCLUDE CHEST X-RAYS, LUNG FUNCTION VESTS, AND MEDICAL QUESTIONNAIRE REVIEW FOR THOSE WHO ARE EXPOSED OR HAVE POTENTIAL FOR EXPOSURE TO ASBtSTOS. THE SAME TESTS ARE AGAIN GIVEN WHEN AN EMPLOYEE TERMINATES FROM SNET. WHO DO I CALL FOR ANY MEDICALLY-RELATED QUESTIONS? YOU CAN CALL YOUR LOCAL NURSE IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS RELATED TO YOUR OWN HEALTH OR CONCERNING THE MEDICAL SURVEILLANCE PROCEDURES. ADMINISTRATIVE MEDICAL ISSUES MAY BE DIRECTED TO THE MANAGER, MEDICAL SERVICES. OVERHEADS AVAILABLE CONFIDENTIAL / 0056^2