Asbestosis and Mesothelioma Articles - Causes Of Asbestosis Exposure to asbestos is a serious threat to health because of the impact it can have on the lungs. In addition to asbestosis, the fibrosis or scarring of the lung tissue, asbestos exposure is also linked to mesothelioma and lung cancer. There is no cure for asbestosis, and the only available treatment involves preventing further complications and helping to manage its symptoms.
Asbestos exposure is the only cause of asbestosis. There are different types of asbestos that have been identified as having different characteristics that can increase the risk of suffering asbestosis or other asbestos-related diseases. The naturally occurring fibers exist in nature in six different types.
While the type of asbestos that is present has a lot of influence over the potential risk for adverse health effects, a Duke University pathologist, Dr. Victor L. Roggli, who studies asbestos-related illnesses said the fiber’s characteristics play a large role as well. A fiber that is long and slender is particularly dangerous, according to Roggli, because of its ability to penetrate deep into the lungs, the lining of the lung and even the abdominal cavity where it can remain for a long period of time.
The embedded fiber, due to the thinness, cannot dislodge from the lungs for a long time depending on the length of the fiber. A number of studies show the body’s defense mechanism cannot get rid of long fibers, so once the fiber enters the body it can stay there for decades.
Workers in asbestos related industries were the most at-risk for asbestos-related diseases because of their exposure to the fibers, but after W.R. Grace & Co. was charged in February 2005 by a federal grand jury with conspiring to endanger Libby, Montana residents, where its vermiculite mine was in operation from 1976 until 2002, people were realizing more and more about the potential damage asbestos exposure can have. The indictment said 1,200 of Libby’s residents have asbestos related lung abnormalities, including 70 percent of those victims never having worked in the mine. The asbestosis and other asbestos-related illnesses were the result of breathing the thick, toxic dust that settled over the town and was transported into their homes in workers’ clothing.
Once asbestos enters the air, its effects can be deadly. When looking at the impact asbestos has had on Libby, residents in that small town are 40 to 80 times more likely to suffer asbestosis than anywhere else in Montana and the entire U.S. In addition, the rate of lung cancer in Libby is 30 percent higher.
Since the causes of asbestosis are now well known, the focus on prevention and treatment must exist. In order to prevent future cases of asbestosis from occurring, contact with asbestos must be eliminated. This means any building or home with asbestos dangers must have the leak professionally patched up or removed. Recognizing common symptoms of asbestosis is essential in early diagnosis. Common symptoms include shortness of breath, cough, tightness in the chest, chest pain and other effects.
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