María Teran-MacIver, RN, MSN, Division of Health Assessment and Consultation
|
"Breathe Easy: Ten Tips for Taking Care of Yourself if You Have Asbestos-Related Disease" (see shaded box) was developed for the many people who either have respiratory symptoms of asbestos-related disease or who have a family member experiencing symptoms.
In 2000, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry developed a testing program to detect and characterize the health effects of exposure to asbestos in affected community members. Many communication efforts were launched to educate and persuade community members to participate in the testing. However, many citizens feared that if they were tested and found to have physical changes related to asbestos exposure, it was somehow tantamount to the confirmation of a "death sentence." As a mortality report would confirm later in the year, residents had a good reason to fear—death from asbestos-related disease in Libby for the 20-year period reviewed was approximately 40 to 60 times that of the rest of the United States. |
|
Breathe Easy: Ten Tips for Taking Care of Yourself if You Have Asbestos-Related Disease
- Get regular health checkups.
- Stay away from smoke and smokers.
- Avoid situations that expose you to respiratory infections.
- Keep a diary of when you have trouble breathing.
- Stay indoors when air pollution or pollen counts are high.
- Avoid breathing pollutants that can aggravate your breathing.
- Eat a healthy diet.
- Drink plenty of fluids (unless your health care provider has you on fluid restrictions).
- Get a balance of rest and exercise.
- Get a flu shot every year.
Developed by Maria Teran-MacIver, RN, MSN, Division of Health Assessment and Consultation; Kris Larson, MHEd, CHES, Division of Toxicology and Environmental Medicine; and Pat Cohan, RN, St. John's Lutheran Hospital Asbestos Clinic, Libby, Montana. | |
However, evidence of asbestos exposure (such as pleural plaques) does not mean that asbestos-related disease must follow. Most importantly, the person exposed can help reduce the risk for a more serious illness by quitting smoking. Smoking exponentially increases the risk for health problems such as cancer among people exposed to asbestos. The Breathe Easy information was created to help community members develop a sense of self-empowerment so that even if they were diagnosed as having a disease such as asbestosis, they still could have some control over their condition. Community members can help manage their conditions with simple common-sense activities.
The Breathe Easy information was introduced in a well-attended health information session during a comprehensive community conference in Libby. The information was later distributed in the local clinic at which the over 6,000 participants in the testing program were evaluated. "Breathe Easy: Ten Tips for Taking Care of Yourself if You Have Asbestos-Related Disease" provided important information to members of the community by targeting one of their fears: a complete lack of control over their own health.
|