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Tuesday, March 9, 2010
In February the Asbestos, Lead & Hazardous Waste Laborers’ local union 78 placed a coffin on the streets of New York to draw attention to the health hazards associated with asbestos, and to the fact that asbestos has been linked to deadly diseases. This serves as a reminder that people that work around asbestos, or have been exposed to it, should carefully monitor their health for signs of mesothelioma or other asbestos-related diseases.
Many workers at New York’s shipyards, powerhouses, plants and construction sites were exposed to asbestos. In addition, Ground Zero workers , especially those who were first on the scene, may be at risk for developing mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases in the coming years.
Asbestos is a known carcinogen and is linked to mesothelioma. Often called “asbestos cancer,” mesothelioma is highly aggressive and is resistant to many
standard cancer treatments. When the towers collapsed, asbestos and other toxic substances such as mercury and lead were released into the air. Medical researchers are now seeing unusually high incidences of respiratory issues and lung scarring in the workers.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH), in an effort to protect and treat 9-11 responders, are offering free health exams for volunteers or paid responders to the World Trade Center attack. The World Trade Center Medical Monitoring examinations are provided free-of-charge.
The tests consist of the following:
- Physical examination by a doctor
- Routine blood and urine tests (no drug or HIV testing)
- Breathing tests
- Interview by doctor or nurse about medical history
- Mental health questionnaire
- Questionnaire about occupational exposures
- Referral for treatment, if necessary
- Advice on Workers’ Compensation and other benefit programs, if necessary
According to the NIOSH website, there are three reasons for which they encourage participation in the screenings. 1) The program will follow participants health for a five-year period, and provide longer-term medical monitoring if resources become available. 2) Not all conditions cause symptoms, so by getting periodic examinations, it may be possible to detect any late-starting diseases. 3) The information that will be gained by following the group of 9/11 workers and volunteers will be extremely valuable in understanding how to protect worker health in future emergencies.
People who qualify include rescue and recovery workers, clean-up workers, anyone who performed essential restoration services, morgue personnel, and those who worked on the Fresh Kills landfill and barges.
See http://www.wtcexams.org/ for eligibility requirements, and for additional information.
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Labels: mesothelioma
posted by Nancy Meredith at 8:00 AM
