July 5th is the international Action Mesothelioma Day. This is day is spent raising awareness and finding solutions to the deadly lung cancer brought on upon by the asbestos mineral. The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health teamed up with the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization for a conference and campaign on this day.

    The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health has decided to add to the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization’s current campaign, “No Time To Lose”. They will be supporting this campaign and have pledged to take action alongside it against asbestos.

    The purpose of the campaign is to help raise awareness on asbestos and how it can lead to the deadly cancer, mesothelioma, and many other diseases and cancers.

    Asbestos fibers are very dangerous, as previously stated, they can cause deadly diseases and cancers if inhaled. The mineral has been used across the world for decades, experiencing a boost in use after the industrial revolution. The asbestos mineral is very durable and heat-resistant, making it the perfect candidate for many different industrial and building industries.

The asbestos mineral has been used in many different products throughout the years, but the main threat today is demolition and construction. Although asbestos is no longer allowed to be used as a building material, it still was used in many houses and building before the ban. Due to this, people working in these old buildings or demolishing these old buildings run the risk of being exposed to asbestos.

When someone is exposed to asbestos fibers, the fibers travel into the lungs and cause damage to the lung tissue. This results in numerous diseases and cancers.

It’s up to organizations such as the ADAO and IOSH to educate workers and people on the dangers of asbestos and how to avoid the deadly fibrous mineral. As they work together this Action Mesothelioma Day, they will hopefully be able to reach even more people on the effects of asbestos than previously before.