Children exposed to asbestos between 1943 and 1966 in Wittenoom, Western Australia, are now dying of asbestos-related cancers at a rate well above the average population.
The University of Western Australia study is the first to look into the long-term effects of asbestos exposure in children, as opposed to adults who worked with asbestos-made materials. The study found that women, exposed to asbestos before the age of 15, have a 20% to 47% greater risk of developing a range of cancers than the rest of the Australian population.
By following this group from Wittenoom, the researchers hope to gain more insight into the effect of asbestos exposure during childhood.
Fred Pribac
logged in via email @internode.on.net
The image that heads the article at the UWA site linked to above (provided courtesy of the Asbestos Diseases Society of Australia) is heartbreaking.
Tom Hennessy
Retired
They've shown the iron found on asbestos causes the problems.
"Asbestos-associated catalytic iron, whether constitutional or induced by other mechanisms, plays an important role in asbestos-induced carcinogenesis and that chemoprevention may be possible through targeting the catalytic iron"
Phytic acid , found in our food , is an iron chelator , binds up iron stopping it from 'rusting' / oxidising and phytic acid has been shown to affect asbestos.
"We show that asbestos augments p53 expression in cells at the bronchoalveolar duct junctions of rat lungs and that phytic acid prevents this."