Health Effects from Overexposure to Asbestos, Gases and Vapors

Read the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) report about the health effects from exposure to asbestos, gases and vapors.

The body can absorb toxic gas or vapor directly into the bloodstream from the inhaled air. Inhalation is the major route of absorption for the majority of hazardous airborne contaminants.

Other routes of absorption are through the skin, eyes, or mucous membranes. Gases and vapors are rarely absorbed through the gastrointestinal tract.

Asphyxiation is the result of a reduction of the oxygen and an increase of carbon dioxide in the body tissues and fluids, resulting in suffocation. Simple asphyxiants, such as methane, hydrogen, and acetylene, act by replacing and lowering the percentage of oxygen in the inhaled air.

Other asphyxiants, called chemical asphyxiants, such as carbon monoxide and nitric oxide, act on the body tissues to alter their ability to pick up oxygen. Carbon monoxide, for example, binds the hemoglobin so that it cannot pick up oxygen.

The chemical action of certain gases or vapors causes inflammation at the area of their contact with or absorption by body tissue. Some results of this irritation may be eye burns, fluid in the lungs, hoarseness, holes in the tissue between the two nostrils, and various types of dermatitis.

Most irritant reactions are acute, that is, they are noticed almost immediately. However, there are some substances which cause a delayed reaction, working slowly to cause severe damage.

The most notable example of this is NO2, which causes a fluid build-up in the lungs which may not occur for several hours and which acts as a barrier, preventing inhaled oxygen from reaching the blood.

Because the irritation is not felt immediately, the miner tends to remain for longer periods in hazardous concentrations.

Gases and vapors can cause the same systemic reactions as particulate contaminants. Gases and vapors are usually absorbed at a much faster rate than particles and, therefore, the symptoms are likely to appear faster.

Almost all toxic gases and vapors cause one or more types of systemic reactions. Sensitization, which also may occur, is considered to be a systemic reaction because absorption of a small amount of the contaminant at one point can cause a reaction in all areas of the body.

Systemic reactions may involve liver and kidney failure, central nervous system disorders, nausea, headache, or weakness.

Courtesy of MSHA

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