Frequently, personal injuries, such as car crashes and falls, put victims in a hospital. For the most part, they recover from their injuries and then move on with their lives. But asbestos exposure is much more serious. Asbestos exposure almost puts victims on hospice. Even if they survive their asbestos exposure-related illnesses, like mesothelioma, their lives are forever changed. A new study,which was twelve years in the making, addresses the physical and, more importantly, the psychological effects of that unwanted transition.

The concept is familiar because mind and body overlap. The placebo effect is an excellent example. Studies show that up to 50 percent of patients improve significantly if they’re given a sham treatment and told the treatment is effective. In many cases, that’s a superior result to a new, improved, cutting-edge “effective” drug. The reverse is true as well. If the mind is unhealthy, the body deteriorates. This degradation causes mental deterioration, and the downward spiral continues.

No one, not even a top asbestos exposure lawyer, can go back in time and prevent the downward spiral from beginning. But an asbestos exposure lawyer can obtain financial compensation that makes the future brighter for victims and their families. Furthermore, legal action assigns responsibility, giving victims and their families peace of mind at a time when this quality is in short supply.

Emotional Effects of Asbestos Poisoning

We extensively discuss the physical effects of asbestos exposure, and rightly so. But we should never overlook the emotional effects which, in many cases, are almost as bad. According to the landmark study, these effects include depression, anxiety, and overall emotional distress. 

In fact, many asbestos exposure victims with non-malignant diseases, like pleural thickening and asbestosis, reported that the psychological effects of asbestos exposure were worse than the physical effects.

The study authors compared these feelings to the (probably) mythical sword of Damocles. According to Greek legend, Damocles was an aid to King Dionysius I of Syracuse. Damocles told Dionysius that “it’s good to be the king” and he wished he could be king for a day. Dionysius granted the boon, and hung a sword above the throne, held at the pommel only by a single hair of a horse’s tail, to evoke the sense of what it is like to be king.

So, although Damocles had almost everything, he lived with constant anxiety, always guarding against dangers that might try to overtake him, whether it be a jealous advisor or servant, a slanderous rumor, an enemy kingdom, a poor royal decision, or any other thing. Damocles begged the king for permission to depart early, for he no longer wanted to be so fortunate.

Similarly, asbestos exposure victims live in fear of the next medical diagnosis. Making matters worse, asbestos exposure victims are stigmatized in many areas.

Study Methods

Researchers began with a pool of nearly 17,000 workers and volunteers who were exposed to asbestos. This substance was perhaps the most widely-used insulator on earth for more than fifty years. These individuals completed questionnaires detailing their work histories and asbestos-exposing tasks, if any. 

Industrial hygienists fully qualified to assess asbestos exposure risks reviewed these questionnaires, helping researchers narrow the field. These experts paid very close attention to five key questions and answers:

• What do you consider to be your exposure level to asbestos (No Exposure, Light Exposure, Intermediate Exposure, Heavy Exposure)?
• Do you think you will become ill because of asbestos (Yes, Maybe, No, Don’t Know)?
• Do you know anyone with an asbestos-related disease (Yes, No)?
• All people exposed to asbestos eventually become ill because of asbestos (True, False, Don’t Know), and
• All asbestos related diseases can be cured (True, False, Don’t Know).

Then between 2003 and 2015, researchers closely monitored the physical health of study participants, as well as their emotional health.

Researchers analyzed this data to score the Physical Component Summary (PCS) calculated here as an unweighted mean of Physical Functioning (PF), Role-Physical (RP), Bodily pain (BP), and General health (GH), and the Mental Component Summary (MCS) based upon Vitality (VT), Social Functioning (SF), Role Functioning (RE) and Mental Health (MH). 

Then, they consolidated and further analyzed this information to compile an HRQoL (health-related quality of life) score of 0 to 100.

Results

Many results were surprising. For example, the perceived risk of asbestos exposure, as opposed to asbestos exposure itself, significantly adversely affected HRQoL scores. Furthermore, higher asbestos perceived risk along with some respiratory symptoms resulted in lower MCS scores.

To verify these results, researchers carefully accounted for other factors such as age, region of recruitment, and smoking status at inclusion or estimated exposure to asbestos. Higher asbestos perceived risk and respiratory symptoms were statistically associated with a decrease in the PCS score.

What it Means

Based on these results, researchers concluded that uncertainty-related distress and anxiety was at the root of most mental health/asbestos exposure issues. The effect goes beyond medical and clinical issues and makes victims globally pessimistic. Researchers also opined that this effect may be understated, even in this study.

This finding is significant for asbestos exposure lawyers. Heretofore, courts have awarded little compensation for victims who require asbestos health monitoring and other such interventions, or for perceived asbestos exposure victims. This study clearly shows that these victims deserve as much compensation as physically disabled victims, if not more.

Another significant finding, in terms of available compensation, is that the combined physical and emotional effects of a moderate respiratory disease may be as far-reaching as the physical consequences of a malignant or more serious respiratory disease.

The researchers also noted regional variations. Asbestos exposure illnesses don’t affect everyone equally. So, a victim in one part of the country might endure greater emotional distress than a victim in another part of the country.

Other study recommendations included routine occupational health consultations, health education, end-of-career visits, and post-exposure CT screenings, along with psychological counseling for the most impacted workers.