Cemetery Kapelle-op-den-Bos

Unfortunately, this cemetery in Kapelle-op-den-Bos contains a large number of deaths caused by asbestos. Asbestos was one of the largest sources of prosperity through the company Eternit. But also an insidious killer. Asbestos has been known for centuries. It was soon recognized for its fire-resistant properties: in ancient Rome, the Vestal Virgins used it for their lamp-wicks for eternally burning wicks. The Roman writer Pliny also speaks of a non-combustible substance that was used as shrouds for kings. As a result, the ashes of the fire were not mixed with the ashes of the noble. Arab troops are said to have incorporated asbestos into their battle clothing so that they could use incendiary bombs in the event of an assault and still attack themselves. Charlemagne had an asbestos tablecloth that he threw into the fire after the meal, to the bewilderment of his guests. During the First World War, the fibres were used as filter material in gas masks. As long as asbestos is in a bound state, there is no health hazard. When loose asbestos fibers are inhaled, they get stuck in the small airways and alveoli. There, the small fibers are absorbed by clean-up cells. Fibers that are too large for this can migrate (walk) into the tissues. They can also spread through the lymphatic pathways and end up in places far away from the small airways. As a result of exposure to asbestos, various asbestos diseases can occur such as asbestosis, asbestospleurisyfibrosislung cancerMesothelioma, pleural thickening,... Most diseases do not manifest themselves until decades after exposure to asbestos has taken place and have little or no cure.

Dromos