Asbestosis and Mesothelioma Articles - What Is Asbestosis? Asbestosis is a widespread scarring of the lungs caused by asbestos exposure. Typically, according to asbestosis experts, it takes decades of exposure at pretty high levels to contract asbestosis, but the widespread, high-level use of asbestos in products for decades has allowed a high number of people to suffer from asbestosis and other asbestos-related illnesses.
The small town of Libby, Montana is one of the most asbestos ridden communities and the place where W.R. Grace & Co.’s vermiculite mine was. From 1963 to 1992, the vermiculite mine was in operation, exposing not just the miners to risk of asbestosis, mesothelioma and lung cancer, but also the entire town. Seventy percent of those afflicted with asbestos related problems, like asbestosis, never worked in the mine but breathed in the thick dust that settled over the entire town and that was brought home on workers’ clothing.
In February 2005, a federal grand jury charged the specialty chemicals supplier and seven current or former executives with conspiring to endanger Libby, Montana residents, as well as concealing health risks of a mine that produced vermiculite contaminated with asbestos. Libby is just one example of the dangers of asbestos exposure.
Allegedly, W.R. Grace’s conspiracy lasted from 1976 until 2002. The indictment says 1,200 of Libby’s 8,000 residents have asbestos related lung abnormalities, which include the 70 percent of those victims who never worked in the mine. Asbestosis is 40 to 80 times more common in Libby than anywhere else in Montana and the U.S., with the rate of lung cancer 30 percent higher.
The dangers of asbestos exist everywhere, not just in Libby. Unsafe levels of asbestos have been found in homes, schools, public buildings and other locations, putting those people at risk for asbestosis and other health effects. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency website states prolonged exposure to asbestos fibers released into the air poses a health risk because “fibers embedded in lung tissue over time may cause serious lung disease, including: asbestosis, lung cancer or mesothelioma.”
Asbestos was mined and used for about one hundred years, with its peak use in the 1970s. Because of the time it can take from asbestos exposure to asbestosis onset, the high number of lawsuits has reflected the toll exposure to the naturally occurring fibers has had on such a significant level.
Because asbestosis can cause such severe forms of lung disease, it is very important to diagnose and treat the diseases early. In order to diagnose asbestosis early, people must understand the signs and symptoms characteristic of the disease in order to seek medical treatment. Symptoms of asbestosis can often include shortness of breath, persistent and productive cough and progressively diminishing levels of effort as the disease worsens.
Since it is easy to confuse signs of asbestosis with many other common illnesses, people that have been exposed to asbestos should notify their medical professionals during routine exams should any signs and symptoms appear.
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