SLE312 Toxicology: Asbestos Exposure and Health Risks in School

This report examines the discovery of asbestos at Essendon North Primary School and assesses the potential toxicological risks to schoolchildren. The study identifies the schoolchildren as key stakeholders due to their persistent inhalation of asbestos during school hours, potentially leading to lung-related diseases. Diagnostic procedures such as chest x-rays and CT scans are recommended to detect asbestos-related diseases, with chest x-rays capable of identifying scarred lung tissues and CT scans providing more detailed detection of asbestos in the lungs. The report emphasizes the importance of environmental cleaning and air monitoring to mitigate the risks associated with asbestos exposure, ensuring the safety and health of the school community. This assignment provides a toxicological overview of the news article and the health risk that the asbestos has on children.

Running head: TOXICOLOGY
TOXICOLOGY
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

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Study methodology
Issue of the article- A news article was located in the ABC news that titled “Asbestos
discovered at Essendon North Prime School”. The news article highlighted that asbestos has
been discovered in the Essendon North Prime School’s classroom and the school is located in the
Melbourne. The asbestos was detected in the school when the one the class room was renovated.
The Education department of the region conducted an investigation that detected asbestos in
trace levels after the concerns were escalated by the Essendon North Prime School. It has also
been highlighted that the traces of the asbestos have been detected in the school corridors, and it
was also confirmed by an occupational hygienist that collected from the school. Moreover, air
monitoring was also conducted that highlighted that the asbestos was below the levels of
laboratory detection. Furthermore, environmental cleaning has been conducted by the school
authorities to remove the traces of asbestos (abc.net.au 2019).
The stakeholders that were identified in this particular scenario are the school children
that are persistently inhaling the asbestos during their school hours and there is a high possibility
that the children might contract a lung related disease. The stakeholder group is interested
because they will be badly affected on the long term and short term if necessary steps are not
taken (abc.net.au 2019).
The toxicological study is conducted so as to reduce the impact of asbestos from the
children and also from the diagnosis test will be conducted so as to identify and detect the
asbestos related diseases. The two diagnosing procedures will be the chest x-ray and the CT
scan. The chest x-ray can highly detect the scarred lung tissues and it appears as more opaque on
the X-ray (Terra-Filho et al. 2015). Furthermore, the chest x-ray is also able to detect the

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advanced levels of the asbestosis, and the lung tissues shows like a honey comb like structure.
Similarly, CT scan can be used to used when the chest x-rays are not able to detect the asbestos
in lungs. The CT scans have the potential to detect the asbestos in lungs much faster way. While
checking the image scans, the doctors check the pleural linings for the signs of the exposure to
the asbestos. Inhalation of the asbestos leads to the pleural plaques and it can support the
diagnosis (Lee et al., 2013).

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Reference
abc.net.au, 2019. 'It's a concern': Asbestos discovered in Melbourne primary school classroom.
[online] ABC News. Available at: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-03-06/asbestos-
discovered-at-essendon-north-primary-school/10874462 [Accessed 27 Mar. 2019].
Lee, G., Jeong, Y.J., Kim, K.I., Song, J.W., Kang, D.M., Kim, Y.D. and Lee, J.W., 2013.
Comparison of chest digital tomosynthesis and chest radiography for detection of asbestos-
related pleuropulmonary disease. Clinical radiology, 68(4), pp.376-382.
Terra-Filho, M., Bagatin, E., Nery, L.E., Nápolis, L.M., Neder, J.A., Meirelles, G.D.S.P., Silva,
C.I. and Muller, N.L., 2015. Screening of miners and millers at decreasing levels of asbestos
exposure: comparison of chest radiography and thin-section computed tomography. PloS one,
10(3), p.e0118585.

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