What does water dispenser, asbestos and mesothelioma cancer have in common? How were they interconnected? Well here’s how I found out about it.

Our water dispenser broke down, leaking, and leaving the floor inside our house with a pool of water. My mom wanted to buy a new one, but I insisted to have it fixed first. Well it’s not because I don’t want my mother to spend some money for a new one, but because secretly, I was so curious about how a water dispenser looks like inside. Just because…

So I called up “mang ega” the mcgyver here in our place, mostly he is an old electrician, mechanic, somewhat a jack of all trades in what he does, fix things. Mainly he was the one who fixes my car whenever it has electrical problems, he’s old but he’s good.

I was watching him when he opened our water dispenser and was a bit surprised since it’s a mess. Damn rodents made a cave like hole inside. How? Well there was a styrophore that is covering up the water container inside and you get the idea.

From then on, he explained to me some obvious parts inside that water dispenser. There were two containers, one for hot and one for cold. Obviously, there wasn’t any broken hose inside so he explained to me how the water dispenser leaks. Well since the rodents have eaten up most of the styrophore inside, there wasn’t anything that covers the cold container that results to the container racking up moisture thus dripping and dripping inside the dispenser until it cannot hold up and expels the water from the moisture, enough to create a pool of water.

Then when he was tinkering a little bit more inside the water dispenser, I noticed some hairy like something that floats in the air, at first I thought is was just dust, so I did not mind it, then he asked me to cover my nose and back up a little bit further away. I asked why, then he told me that the hairy particles that is floating in the air is coming from the hot container.

Well as what I have observed, the hot container was covered with a white, hairy, cotton-soft thing. I asked him what that is and he told me that it was asbestos. Why was it there? Well it is because asbestos has the ability to withstand heat.

He said that exposure to asbestos causes cancer. I asked him how and he told me that the floating particles could be inhaled and when inhaled goes straight to the lungs and can lacerate the lung walls.

Imagine that kind of cotton – soft, hairy – like, thing could damage the lungs.

Asbestos exposure can lead to mesothelioma cancer; well jobs that are involved in asbestos exposure are the most prominent ones.

That was what he told me about. But as a nurse, knowledge about health and things that could affect a person’s health is my line. So out of curiosity, I did a couple of research and found out that there were other methods that can cause mesothelioma from asbestos exposure besides inhalation, an example would be washing the clothes of a family member who worked with asbestos can also put a person at risk for developing mesothelioma.

I also found out that mesothelioma can also occur not just on the lungs but also on the peritoneum or what is also called peritoneal mesothelioma, the heart and the pericardium.

Damn it, so does that mean that I am exposed? Well what about other people who use water dispensers, I am sure that there is an asbestos cover on the hot container of their dispensers, I think they would also be at risk.

The worst thing about it is that, after exposure, symptoms would not manifest immediately. Just like AIDS, it would take years before it manifests, around 20 to 50 years after exposure.

Symptoms of Mesothelioma

>> Shortness of breath

>> Cough

>> Pain in the chest due to pleural effusion (fluid between the lungs)

Whoa, symptoms are much generalized. Even tuberculosis has these symptoms! Uh oh. While Peritoneal Mesothelioma has

>> weight loss

>> cachexia (muscle atrophy, fatigue, weakness and significant loss of appetite)

>> abdominal pain and swelling due to ascites (fluid in the abdominal cavity)

SOME FACTS ABOUT ASBESTOS AND MESOTHELIOMA

Asbestos manufacturers knew about the effects of asbestos inhalation 70 years ago, but the worst about that is, they kept it secret.

Bad thing about it is that up until now, workers are not always told that they are exposed around asbestos and are at risk for developing mesotheloma.

It’s just like having intercourse with someone who has aids but never tells you.

Tsk, tsk, tsk.

>> So what do you do when you suspect that you have developed mesotheloma?

>> Seek out the best and most up-to-date information

>> Seek out the best medical care.

>> Early screening for mesothelioma diagnosis.

>> Stay in close contact with your doctor.

>> Consider whether or not you want to bring a lawsuit because of this asbestos-related injury.

>> Remember that resources are available to you through community and medical support groups, asbestos victims’ organizations, your place of worship, as well as your family and friends.

The next time you would see a water dispenser, then I hope that you would remember this.

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