How does asbestos work that it can create cancer?

Hi! Thanks for the question.

I have found the following articles describing the process on how
asbestos works to create cancer. It would be good to read the entirety
of the articles to get a better grasp of the concepts.


?Asbestos minerals have separable long fibers that are strong and
flexible enough to be spun and woven and are heat resistant. Because
of these characteristics, asbestos has been used for a wide range of
manufactured goods, mostly in building materials??

?Asbestos fibers can enter the air or water from the breakdown of
natural deposits and manufactured asbestos products. Asbestos fibers
do not evaporate into air or dissolve in water. Small diameter fibers
and particles may remain suspended in the air for a long time and be
carried long distances by wind or water before settling down.?


?ASBESTOS CAS # 1332-21-4?
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts61.pdf 

?Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry ? Asbestos?
http://www.epa.gov/asbestos/atsdr.pdf 


?Depending on their shape and size, asbestos fibers deposit in
different areas of the lung. Fibers less than 3 mm easily move into
the lung tissue and the lining surrounding the lung (pleura). Long
fibers, greater than 5 mm (1/5 inch), cannot be completely broken down
by scavenger cells (macrophages) and, therefore remain in the lung
tissue. These asbestos fibers can cause inflammation. Substances
damaging to the lungs are then released by the cells of inflammation
that are responding to the foreign asbestos material. Furthermore, the
continued existence of these long fibers in the lung tissue and the
resulting inflammation seem to initiate the process of cancer
formation.?

?As inflammation and tissue damage around the asbestos fibers
continues, the resulting scarring can extend from the small airways to
the larger airways and the tiny air sacs (alveoli) at the end of the
airways. Some of these fibers can move to the surface of the lung
where they form plaques (white-gray regions of scarred tissue) in the
tissue lining of the lung (pleura). In severe cases of asbestosis,
scarring of both the lung and its lining tissue can occur.?

?Asbestos-Related Disorders? (MedicineNet.com)
http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=12629&pf=3&track=qpa12629

 
Search terms used:
asbestos cancer process

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Easterangel-ga                 
Google Answers Researcher

Thanks! I thought the process was more complicated then just fibers
going into the lung.