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ASBESTOS AWARENESS WEEK 23-28th NOVEMBER 2009
The Plumbers' Union is proud to participate in Asbestos Awareness Week 2009. We will be holding a special Radio Show in recognition of those affected by asbestoses on 3CR 6:30am, Thursday 26th November. We would like to pay particular tribute to Plumbers' Union Life Member and former Organiser Brian Mier who lost his battle last month.
Warren Zevon, an American songwriter and musician, died from mesothelioma in 2003 aged 56. His best known single was the 1978 hit Werewolves of London. Upon diagnosis of his condition, Zevon embarked on a final album, with guests Bruce Springsteen, Don Henley, Emmylo Harris and Tom Petty.
As part of Asbestos Awareness Week we will be playing Zevon’s hits in order to remember those affected by asbestos disease and remind the public that asbestos is still an issue of considerable concern.
Asbestosis is the scarring of lung tissue (around terminal bronchioles and alveolar ducts) resulting from the inhalation of asbestos fibers. There are two types of fibers: amphibole (thin and straight) and serpentine (curved). The former are primarily responsible for human disease as they are able to penetrate deeply into the lungs. When such fibers reach the alveoli (air sacs) in the lung, where oxygen is transferred into the blood, the foreign bodies (asbestos fibers) cause the activation of the lung's local immune system and provoke an inflammatory reaction.
This inflammatory reaction can be described as chronic rather than acute, with a slow ongoing progression of the immune system in an attempt to eliminate the foreign fibers. Due to the asbestos fibers' natural resistance to digestion, the macrophage dies off, releasing cytokones and attracting further lung macrophages and fibrolastic cells to lay down fibrous tissue, which eventually forms a fibrous mass.
The result is interstitial fibrosis.
The fibrotic scar tissue causes alveolar walls to thicken, which reduces elasticity and gas diffusion, reducing oxygen transfer to the blood as well as the removal of carbon dioxide.
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Tune in to the Plumbers radio program, every second Thursday morning, 6.30 am on 3CR (855 0n the AM band)
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