Diseases caused by asbestos

Asbestos is known to cause a number of diseases;

• Pleural plaques
• Benign asbestos related pleural plaques
• Asbestosis
• Mesothelioma
• Asbestos and lung cancer

None of the above mentioned conditions can spread to other people as they are not infectious.

Pleural plaques

Benign non-cancerous condition indicative of previous exposure to asbestos.

Pleural plaques are patches of tough sinewy tissue that form on the inside of the chest wall.

Do not cause other asbestos related diseases.

Do not reduce life expectancy.

Most common manifestation of asbestos exposure.

The risk for other asbestos related diseases is due to the asbestos exposure itself and not because pleural plaques have formed.

A worker with pleural plaques is no more likely to develop an asbestos related disease than a worker with the same amount of asbestos exposure but did not develop plaques.

Benign asbestos related pleural disease

The disease begins with inflammation of the pleura leading to the collection of fluid in the space between the lungs and the chest wall.

This can be associated with discomfort, commonly shortness of breath which develops over days or weeks.

Asbestosis

Caused by heavy and prolonged exposure to asbestos.

Condition where scaring of the lung tissue causes stiffening of the lung tissue. The lung shrinks and is unable to expand.

Surface area for the exchange of gases is reduced, thus the transfer of oxygen into the lungs is reduced.

Increased breathlessness over time.

TREATMENT: The scaring process can not be reversed by any treatment.

Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is a malignant tumor that develops in the pleura (the lining of the chest wall) or peritoneal (lining of the abdomen).

The exact mechanism of the disease process is not well understood.

What we do know is the mesothelioma produces fluid which compresses the lungs.

The mesothelioma continues to grow like a weed never reaching a stable size.

There is no cure for mesothelioma. All treatments are palliative

TREATMENT: Chemical pleurodesis, surgery to remove the lung, chemotherapy, radiotherapy or a combination.

All treatments have side effects. Some people choose no treatment.

Asbestos and lung cancer

Lung cancer rarely occurs in people who do not smoke and have not been exposed to asbestos.

Smoking and asbestos exposure work together.

Asbestos workers who smoke greatly increase their risk (X50) of developing a lung cancer.

Smoking damages the natural cleaning processes of the lungs.

It is never too late to stop smoking.

TREATMENT: The same as for anyone with lung cancer. The earlier the diagnosis is made the better the outcome of treatment