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International Mesothelioma Awareness Day│Retired shipyard worker recalls that asbestos nose turns white: I think something is wrong with coughing up

2020-09-26T01:17:49.475Z


Asbestos was often used as a building material for heat insulation, electricity isolation, sound absorption, fire prevention, etc., but its harm to health was not noticed in the past. Many people suffer from lung cancer, mesothelioma and


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Written by: Lu Nuojun

2020-09-26 09:00

Last update date: 2020-09-26 09:00

Asbestos was often used as a building material for heat insulation, electricity isolation, sound absorption, fire prevention, etc., but its harm to health was not noticed in the past.

Many people suffer from serious diseases such as lung cancer, mesothelioma, and asbestososis due to long-term work in asbestos environments. The symptoms of the disease may not appear until about 10 to 40 years after exposure to asbestos.

Huang Bo, who has worked in the shipyard for nearly 50 years, recalls that he was an apprentice on a ship when he was 17 years old, when he had zero equipment contact and cutting asbestos materials.

In those days, even surgical masks were not available. Everyone’s work was the top priority. It was okay to inhale asbestos powder directly to make nose and saliva white.

But Bo Huang didn’t come onset until decades later. He was found to have mesothelioma a year ago, and his right lung was full of blood and tumors. With the support of his children and his wife, he spent nearly 1.5 million yuan to increase the price. It was difficult to recover from the surgery. "I used to do it day and night, and stayed with the house owner before retiring. If I just finished playing, it would really be good for my wife," he said.

Huang Bo, 72, was exposed to asbestos when he was an apprentice in a shipyard when he was young. He was diagnosed with mesothelioma last year.

(Photo by Lu Nuojun)

●Mesothelioma is a benign or malignant disease arising from cells in the mesothelioma of the pleura or peritoneum. The formation of malignant pleural mesothelioma or exposure to asbestos due to work has a great relationship.

According to the information of the Hospital Authority, there were 232 mesothelioma cases in Hong Kong from 2006 to 2015. According to the information provided by the Lung Dust Mutual Aid Association, there are only about 16 mesothelioma patients.

●The World Health Organization has listed asbestos as a first-class carcinogen. Hong Kong has now completely banned the import, transshipment, supply and use of all types of asbestos and asbestos-containing materials.

Huang Guizhong (Huang Bo), 72 years old this year, has been working at Taikoo Dockyard since 1964, and retired from the age of 17 until the age of 62.

In the first two years of joining the shipyard as an apprentice, he had to follow his master to make furniture, room partitions, and heat insulation on the ship.

Uncle Huang pointed out that the white heat insulation board used on the ship would cause powder to float out when sawn down, but as an apprentice, he only wanted to "grab and eat". At that time, he didn't know what materials they were and whether they had any effect on the body. Later, the Prophet, it was called asbestos board."

Saw asbestos board in the cabin, dusty workers, direct inhalation of zero equipment

At that time, there were no ventilation facilities in the cabin, and there was no "pig pit" to protect the workers, and the cabin was dusty from time to time.

Working from 8 am to 10 pm every day, Uncle Huang and other workers have been in direct contact with and inhaled asbestos materials for a long time. "Saliva, phlegm, and nose are all white when they cough up. They think they cough up. It’s suffocating.” A group of workers “starts after eating” every day, and they don’t know that such work is harmful to the health.

Later, Bo Huang was transferred to work in the company’s factory. He still had contact with asbestos materials occasionally. In the 1980s, the government began to legislate to control the use of asbestos. "For example, to remove asbestos materials from a ship, a group of people must be equipped with all equipment. The ventilation system can be done first.” Huang Bo pointed out that at that time, he also had a lung exposure, but there was no abnormality. Later, he was appreciated by the company’s senior management in Britain and joined the office building to do drawing and supervision work. After self-learning mechanical and electrical knowledge, he became more After the repair manager, he gradually forgot that he had been in contact with the asbestos layer.

By 2010, Huang Bo left the company and officially announced his retirement.

Suspected asbestos substance found in tumor with blood in half of lung

"For so many years, nothing has happened." Huang Bo pointed out that in the past, there were occasional physical examinations and occasional hiking in the mountains to exercise.

However, in June 2019, his physical condition suddenly deteriorated. "When I talked about it, it was like a dirty family. If a girl talked to me, I was totally unhappy." His daughter took him to a specialist for lung care. It was found that 80% of the lungs on the right had accumulated water. The doctor took the accumulated water for a test, but "the pump was always red blood."

In addition, the doctor informed him that there were six tumors at the bottom of his right lung. After a cross-sectional examination, he found that there was some white material in the tumor. "The chemist asked me if I had been exposed to asbestos. I did. It was about 54 years ago! I'll be sick before I arrive!"

The doctor first performed surgical resection for him, followed by 6 chemotherapy and targeted drug treatments, and the medical expenses were nearly 1.5 million yuan.

"I used to work hard, day and night, and I don't have time to spend time with my wife... Thank you so much for your wife to join the two eldest daughters. If you are done, it's really good for your wife. "Uncle Huang successfully completed the operation on July 28 last year, which happened to be his wife’s birthday. "This gift is to send my life back to the past." Although his strength after the operation was not as good as before, he is thankful that he is now recovering well. I also work hard every day to do exercises such as stepping and stretching, hoping to maintain my health.

Every September 26th is the International Mesothelioma Awareness Day. This year, the Lung Dust Mutual Aid Association is also the first time in Hong Kong to launch a response activity.

The meeting called on the public to download the International Mesothelioma Attention Day logo on social platforms and change them to personal avatars on social platforms, hoping to use the power of the community to deepen everyone’s understanding of mesothelioma and at the same time pass on mesothelioma information To the people around you.

Please donate to support the medical expenses of patients with rare cancer of mesothelioma, and support the treatment needs of patients in surgery, chemotherapy, immunotherapy and taking dart target drugs.

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18 District News Lung Disease Lung Dust Mutual Aid Association

Source: hk1

All news articles on 2020-09-26

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