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Get moving for health repercussions from exposure to asbestos
“Get moving for health repercussions from exposure to asbestos" is the solidarity cause chosen by TMB employees for 2019, within the social action project "Choose your cause".
For this reason, TMB has designed a series of dissemination activities to be carried out on the metro network, aimed at reporting on diseases, which could result from exposure to asbestos, and make people suffering from them visible.
Effects of asbestos on health
Exposure of asbestos elements is mainly through the respiratory tract. The risks of developing a disease depend on various factors: the type and characteristics of the fibres, the intensity and duration of exposure, exposure to tobacco or other carcinogenic agents and the individual characteristics of each person.
The majority of people with diseases associated to asbestos can be asymptomatic for 20 - 30 years after exposure. Hence the importance of medical supervision with regular examinations for early detection of possible damage.
The inhalation of asbestos fibres can main affect the lungs and pleura, and cause diseases such as asbestosis and certain types of cancer (lung, larynx and ovary and mesothelioma). Pleural plaques are the most frequently affected pleuro-pulmonar related to asbestos.
Asbestosis is caused by inhaling asbestos fibres, normally in work environments, requiring intense or continued handling.The bioaccumulation of these fibres in the organism, which is unable to expel them, causes abrasive erosion in the lung tissue. This diminishes respiratory and effort capacity. This may result in pleural or pulmonary events, or both.
Asbestos on the Barcelona metro
Materials with asbestos content were widely used in Spain for a number of years in the construction industry, during the second half of the 20th century. Owing to the harmful effects on health, it was forbidden to manufacture it in 2000 and sell it in 2002.
TMB manages the problem of asbestos in the Barcelona metro network in a responsible, transparent way. The presence of asbestos on the metro is one of our current concerns. The company is therefore making every technical, human and economic effort to tackle the problem, by talking with the representatives of employees and the competent Administration .
How do we do this?
- With an occupational health monitoring plan of the metro staff, potentially exposed to materials with asbestos content.
- With environmental measures which confirm the safety of installations and environmental conditions.
- With an asbestos removal plan, aimed at removing or confining asbestos in the metro network in the next three years. This includes actions such as eliminating fibre cement from the installations and replacing the oldest trains.
Activity program
November
Crowdfunding campaign to research malignant mesothelioma treatment
This is an initiative, developed by AROMICS with the European Union support, to raise funds to accelerate the development of a drug (NAXO35) against malignant mesothelioma.
Malignant mesothelioma is a particularly aggressive type of cancer that is difficult to predict and currently has limited therapeutic options. Its origin is directly related to exposure to asbestos.
The purpose of the crowdfunding is to complete the regulatory preclinical stage and start trials of the drug NAX035 on human beings.
Time period: from mid-November 2019 to March 2020.
Cycle of conferences regarding the impact of asbestos on health.
On 15 November, a seminar will be held on asbestos and its impact on health, with the following speakers:
- Respiratory diseases linked to asbestosis. This will be given by Dr. Josep Morera Prat, co-director of the Respiratory Service of Centre Mèdic Teknon.
- Malignant pathology in a population exposed to asbestos. The case of Cerdanyola-Ripollet. Given by Dr. Josep Tarrés Olivella, coordinator of the medical team of the Observatory for the Study of Pathologies Related to Asbestos.
- Updating in diagnosis and treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma. Conference given by Dr. Ernest Nadal Alforja, Head of the Thoracic, Head and Neck Tumours, Medical Oncology Department of Institut Català d'Oncologia.
- Bermes Project: development of a new drug for malignant mesothelioma. Given by Dr. Carme Plasencia Castillo, Scientific Director of AROMICS.
Date and time:15 November from 12 to 14 hours.
Place: Parc Científic de Barcelona, Auditori Antoni Caparrós. Carrer Baldiri Reixac, 4-12
Attendance should be confirmed by email to bermesproject@gmail.com or info@aromics.es.
December
Conference on "Physiopathology and diagnosis of diseases caused by asbestos The post-occupational monitoring programme in Catalonia"
On 10 December, a conference will be held on "Physiopathology and diagnosis of diseases caused by asbestos. The post-occupational monitoring programme in Catalonia".
Speakers:
- Dr. Jaume Joan Ferrer Sancho, head of the Pneumology Service of the Vall d'Hebron University Hospital.
- Dra. Júlia Sampol of the Pneumology Service of the Vall d'Hebron University Hospital.
- Sr. Miquel de Homdedeu Cortés, researcher of Vall d'Hebron Research Institute, Pneumology service.
Date: 10 December
Time: from 15.00 to 16.30 hours.
Venue: room 4, floor 11 of the general building of the Vall d'Hebron University Hospital, Passeig de la Vall d'Hebron, 119-129
Register by email addressed to acciosocial@tmb.cat.
Exhibition against health repercussions from exposure to asbestos
This will be a visual display of information on asbestos, such as: what is asbestos and what it is used for, health repercussions from exposure to asbestos, asbestos in Catalonia, TMB events carried out and research of the BERMES project, development of a drug against malignant mesothelioma.
Date: from 18 December 2019 to 8 January 2020.
Place: Espai Mercè Sala
