What is asbestos?

Asbestosis is a chronic lung condition that results in shortness of breath. The condition is incurable, but treatment is available to help manage the symptoms. Asbestosis is caused by prolonged exposure to asbestos.

Asbestos is a general term that is used to refer to a group of minerals made up of long, crystal fibres. It is unusually strong and fire resistant, and was widely used throughout the 20th century in the construction, building, and manufacturing industries to make a wide range of products from brake pads to ceiling tiles.

It is difficult to estimate the exact number of people who are affected by asbestosis. This is due to the fact that many people with the condition mistake their symptoms of breathlessness as a natural consequence of ageing and do not report their symptoms.

The health risks of asbestos

If undamaged, asbestos does not present a health risk. However, if it becomes chipped, or broken, asbestos can release a fine dust made up of tiny asbestos fibres. If someone breathes in the dust, the fibres can damage the lungs and trigger asbestosis.

The symptoms of asbestosis usually begin many years after the initial exposure. Most cases of asbestosis begin 15-20 years after exposure, although it can take as many as 40 years for symptoms to become apparent.

Health concerns regarding asbestos were raised as far back as 1898, but it was not until the 1970s that strict regulations were introduced to regulate the use of asbestos and limit an employee’s exposure to it.

The use of asbestos was banned in the UK in 1999 and it is now also banned in all EU countries. However, asbestos is still widely used in the developing countries.

In the most serious cases, asbestosis can place an enormous strain on a person’s health and shorten their life expectancy. People with asbestosis also have a high risk of developing lung cancer and mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a cancer that affects the membranes that cover many of your body’s organs.

Both lung cancer and mesothelioma can develop many years after the initial exposure to asbestos; usually between 40-60 years.

The prognosis for lung cancer is poor with only 10% of people achieving a cure. However, with treatment, it is possible to extend life for many years. See the ‘related articles’ section for more information about lung cancer.

The prognosis for mesothelioma is also very poor. Around 85% of people who are diagnosed with the condition will die within three years of being diagnosed.

Every year in the UK there are approximately 1,800 deaths as a result of mesothelioma. However, like asbestosis, this figure is expected to rise in the years ahead due to the prolonged gap between exposure to asbestos and the onset of the cancer. Experts believe that by 2050, 90,000 people in the UK will have died as a result of mesothelioma.

Symptoms of asbestosis

The symptoms of asbestosis usually begin 15-20 years after the initial exposure to the material. Symptoms usually begin gradually before becoming more noticeable and troublesome over the space of many years.

Symptoms of asbestosis include shortness of breath (initially after physical activity, but eventually while resting as well), cough, and chest pain. A less common symptom of asbestosis is the ends of the fingers become swollen, misshapen, and red, as a result of a build-up of fluid in the tissue of the fingers. This is known as finger clubbing.

The main causes of asbestosis

Asbestos fibres
Asbestosis is caused by asbestos fibres. Usually, when you breathe in a foreign body, such as a particle of dust, or metal, small cells, known as macrophages, will break down these particles before they reach your lungs.

However, asbestos fibres are too tough for the macrophages to break down. In an attempt to break down the asbestos fibres, the macrophages release substances that are designed to destroy the fibres. These substances damage the tiny air sacs in your lungs which are known as alveoli.

Alveoli

When you breathe in, the alveoli help transfer oxygen from your lungs into your blood. Also, when you breathe out, the alveoli help to transfer carbon dioxide out of your blood, through your lungs, and out of your mouth.

If you have experienced a prolonged exposure to asbestos fibres lasting for many years, the damage to the alveoli becomes more severe and causes scarring. This scarring is known as fibrosis.

Once the alveoli become scarred, their ability to inhale oxygen, and exhale carbon dioxide, becomes adversely affected, resulting in the symptoms of breathlessness.

Occupational risk factors for asbestosis

The use of asbestos significantly increased after World War Two, peaked during the 1970s and then slowly declined during the 1980s and 1990s. If, during this time, you worked in an industry, or occupation, that used asbestos, you may have been exposed to it.

Occupations that are known to be associated with exposure to asbestos during these times include:

• insulation workers,
• boilermakers,
• plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters,
• shipbuilders,
• sheet metal workers,
• plasters,
• chemical technicians, and
• heating, air-conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics.

Industries that are known to have used asbestos during these times include:

• construction,
• shipbuilding and repair,
• chemical manufacturing,
• non-metallic mineral stone production,
• railways,
• yarn, thread, and fabric mills,
• rubber and plastic production, and
• trucking services.

 Related Articles

1. Inflamed air­ways — Bron­chitis 
2. Res­pir­at­ory tract infec­tion — Bron­chi­olitis
3. Fungal infec­tions — Asper­gil­losis
4. Cystic fibrosis
5. Asbestosis – Chronic lung dis­ease 
6. Bron­chiectasis 
7. Chronic obstruct­ive pul­mon­ary dis­ease 
8. Croup infection
9. Cystic fibrosis 

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