Asbestos diseases are receiving increased attention as the numbers of people with diseases that are directly traceable to asbestos exposure continue to rise, both in the U.S. and around the world. The “asbestos epidemic” is aptly named; it has been estimated that hundreds of thousands of individuals in the U.S. have developed an asbestos disease such as:

• Asbestosis — a lung disease that significantly reduces the capacity of the lungs to do their job
• Lung cancer — both small-cell lung cancer and non-small-cell lung cancer
• Mesothelioma — a less frequent but still deadly cancer of the mesothelium (a tissue inside the chest cavity)
• Other cancers — e.g., gastrointestinal, colorectal, kidney, brain, bladder

Asbestosis

Asbestosis is particularly common among individuals who have worked in occupations that involved asbestos directly (such as in the mining and processing of asbestos) or indirectly (with products or procedures in which asbestos is present). Long-term exposure to asbestos can produce this severe respiratory disease, marked by great shortness of breath. The lungs have reacted to the inhalation of asbestos fibers with inflammation and scarring, reducing the total lung capacity (TLC).

Lung Cancer

The fibers of which asbestos is composed are the initiators of lung cancer in many people. The fibers are so small that they cannot be seen with the naked eye, and they are so light that they float suspended in the air- for hours or days, where they may be inhaled by people in the area. It is entirely possible to inhale asbestos fibers without knowing that you have done so. The fibers lodge themselves in the lungs, and the body reacts with a cancer-producing process that cannot be reversed.

Mesothelioma

The only confirmed cause of mesothelioma is asbestos exposure. It is a sad fact that approximately 2,500–3,000 people die from mesothelioma each year in the U.S. This cancer attacks the mesothelium, a thin and vulnerable tissue that lines part of the chest cavity, including the outside of the lungs and heart.

There are several sub-types of mesothelioma, and they are all fatal. The onset for mesothelioma is quite long — from 10 to 60 years after the asbestos exposure. This explains in part the significant increase in the number of people being diagnosed with mesothelioma; the World War II years and the 1950s were rife with products that contained asbestos, a “miracle material” used in thousands of products in buildings (including homes and schools), ships (particularly U.S. Navy ships), and vehicles.

More Information about Asbestos Diseases

If you are one of the unfortunate millions of people who have been affected by an asbestos disease, learn all that you can about what to expect and what you can do. Contact us for more information today.