Asbestosis

Asbestos is a group of naturally occurring silicate fibers with a crystalline structure. These fibers can only be identified under a microscope. Mined and milled from native rock, asbestos is fibrous, thin, and strong. Characteristics, like heat resistance, chemical inertness, and insulating capacity, coupled with the flexibility to be woven make asbestos suitable for use in many industrial applications. There are many different types of asbestosis fibers.

When you inhale, many small particles enter your body along with the air. Your nose and the airways leading to your lungs filter out most of these particles. Asbestos particles are long thin microscopic glass-like fibers that are able to pass through these filters and enter deep into your lungs.

The lungs have cleaning cells called macrophages, which eat up any foreign particles that might make it down that deep into the lungs. When these macrophages try to eat the asbestos fibers the macrophages are cut open releasing their digestive enzymes (juices). The digestive juices in turn injure the lungs forming scars, a condition called fibrosis. As more and more macrophages try to eat the asbestos fibers, more and more damage occurs. The large-scale lung damage or fibrosis that occurs is called "Asbestosis" after the particle that caused the damage. The negative health effects associated with asbestosis may take years to develop.

Asbestos can enter the environment from weathered natural mineral deposits and fiber releases arising from manmade asbestos products. Asbestos may be found in products like

• Floor tiles
• Roof shingles
• Cement
• Automotive brakes
• Electrical, plumbing, acoustical, and structural insulation materials

Breathing asbestos-containing air into the lungs is the exposure route of greatest concern. Some of the asbestos fibers reaching the lungs are eliminated in exhaled air and others are coughed from the lungs with mucus. The fibers reaching the deepest air passages of the lungs can produce the greatest damage.

The digestive system can be exposed to asbestos fibers from drinking water and mucus cleared from the lungs. A small number of fibers may penetrate the cells that line the digestive system, but only a few will reach the bloodstream. These fibers will be released in the urine. Asbestos fibers contacting the skin rarely pass through the skin into the body.

• Shortness of breath (primary symptom)
• Difficult breathing
• Dry, crackling rales at the lung bases, especially when inhaling
• Cough: may be dry or may produce mucus
• Chest pain or tightness
• Recurrent respiratory infections
• Oxygen deficiency
• Hemoptysis (coughing up blood)
• Loss of appetite

• Mining and Milling Asbestos
• Construction (using asbestos)
• Fireproofing and Textile Industries
• Paints and Plastics Production Industries
• Brake and Clutch Linings Production Industries

• Families of asbestos workers
• Individuals exposed to fibrous dust or waste piles from nearby asbestos plants
• Cigarette smokers exposed to asbestos have a significantly higher risk of developing lung cancer.

Asbestos workers have an increased chance of developing two types of cancer. Lung cancer starts within the respiratory tissues, and mesothelial cancer grows from the thin membranes that surround the lung or the abdominal cavities.

Both lung cancer and mesothelioma are usually fatal. These asbestos related diseases do not appear immediately, but may develop 20 to 50 years after exposure.

• Exposure concentration of asbestos fibers
• Time period or duration of exposure
• How often exposure occurred
• Presence of pre-existing lung disease
• History of smoking

• Chest x-ray
• Pulmonary function test
• Periodic health examinations by a physician

• Physicians
• Health Professionals
• Laboratory Directors
• Any persons in charge of a clinical or hospital laboratory, blood bank, mobile unit or other facility in which a laboratory examination reveals evidence of the reportable disease.

View information on how to report occupational conditions.