Asbestos And Lung Disease
What is 'asbestosis'?
Asbestotsis is a medical condition caused by exposure to and inhalation of asbestos. Asbestos is a mineral found throughout the earth. Very, very low levels of asbestos are actually ambient in our air. All of us are breathing asbestos, even right now. It becomes a problem when we breath it in high concentrations. If we breath it in high concentrations over the course of years and years, such as somebody working in an asbestos rich environment, that can lead to very significant lung disease. Asbestotosis is a condition in which someone who's exposed to asbestos over the course of years develops essentially scarring and fibrosis of the lungs, leading to significant pulmonary limitation.
What are the symptoms of asbestosis?
The most common symptom of asbestosis is shortness of breath, dyspnea with physical activity, occasionally cough, and occasionally chest pain.
Who is most at risk for asbestosis?
People who are most at risk for asbestosis are people who work in trades where they are exposed to inhaled or to ambient or airborne asbestos particles for prolonged periods of time. We are talking about months or years. We are not talking about a single exposure to asbestos. The trades that are most at risk are people who deal with this today. Many older schools and older buildings are trying to rid asbestos from the walls and from the ceilings, and the individuals who tear this stuff out, who do the reconstruction, who do the remodeling are literally tearing down asbestos boards. All of these asbestos particles and fibers are becoming airborne, and if those individuals aren't properly protected then they are at significant risk for developing asbestos-related disease. Asbestos use in the United States peaked in the 1970s. That's when it was mined the most heavily. Obviously going back to the 1960s and 70s, individuals who might have been involved in the mining of and the collection and distribution of asbestos are also at risk. Because the development of asbestos-related diseases typically has a lag factor of anywhere from 20-40 years, individuals who were exposed in the 60s and 70s are actually coming to medical attention now in this day and age and it is actually predicted by the CDC that the maximum or peak of asbestos-related lung disease will occur between the years of 2010 and 2020.
How does smoking affect asbestosis?
Asbestosis is considered to be an independent risk for lung cancer. Smoking, as we all know, is also an independent risk for lung cancer, but when the two of them are combined there is an exponential effect and individuals are much more likely to develop lung cancer.
How is asbestosis diagnosed?
Asbestosis is diagnosed first and foremost on a basis of a history consistent with asbestos exposure. So if somebody had not had significant asbestos exposure in the past unlike if you'd having asbestosis is really quite small. In terms of the actual diagnosis itself is typically arrived on a basis of physical examination and a chest x-ray or a CT scan of a chest which is consistent of the diagnosis of asbestosis.
What are the complications of asbestosis?
The complications of asbestosis are primarily respiratory limitation, meaning that people are not able to perform, from a respiratory standpoint, activities that they were once able to perform. That could, in its very early stages, mean that someone is not able to exercise if someone previously enjoyed exercising, but at the end stage of the disease, even walking across the room or getting up out of bed can be literally a debilitating, gasping for air type of experience.
How is asbestosis usually treated?
Unfortunately there is no specific treatment for asbestosis. Asbestosis is caused by scaring of fibrosis of the lung, just like you get a scar on your arm after a cut. The scar on the arm doesn't go away and unfortunately neither does the scar on the lung.
