Asbestos-Related Diseases

Asbestos Symptoms and Treatment / Asbestos-Related Diseases / Asbestos-Related Diseases

Health Problems Caused by Asbestos Exposure Can Take Up to Fifty Years to Develop.

Why is asbestos exposure so dangerous to a person’s health?

For over 2000 years, humans have used asbestos for its fireproofing qualities.

The ancient Greek historian Pliny the Elder described a mineral that could resist fire. He called it asbestos, meaning ‘indestructible’ or ‘unquenchable.’

Unfortunately, asbestos’ durability makes it extremely harmful to humans when inhaled:

  • When a person inhales asbestos fibers, they are drawn down into the lungs and the pleura (the tissue surrounding and protecting the lungs.)
  • The fibers then become embedded in the lungs and pleural membranes. Even microscopic asbestos fibers are extremely strong and resistant. They do not dissolve in water or get corroded.
  • Some asbestos fibers may get coughed up. But some inhaled asbestos gets deposited deep within the lungs and never leaves the body.2
  • Over time, these small, durable asbestos fibers can cause health problems.
    The fibers are like tiny needles, puncturing and tearing at the lungs and other tissue. Scar tissue builds up, causing symptoms like coughing, breathing difficulty and a diminished lung capacity.
  • Eventually all the scarring and damage caused by asbestos fibers embedded in the lung and pleura can lead to chronic illnesses, some of which are fatal. In addition to asbestosis and pulmonary fibrosis, the embedded fibers can cause mesothelioma and other cancers.
  • Asbestos fibers can be microscopic. A person does not always know asbestos is in the air.
  • Asbestos fibers have no taste or smell. People may not know they are breathing it.
  • Asbestos can also be swallowed from the air and enter the body through the digestive system. It can cause damage in the stomach and colon.
  • Asbestos begins to damage a body’s health slowly and quietly. Symptoms can even take up to fifty years to appear.

“It is widely accepted that malignant pleural mesothelioma can develop 40-50 years after the first exposure to higher concentrations of the asbestos dust, even if the exposure was very short.”3

What diseases and health problems are caused by asbestos exposure?

Asbestos-related illnesses are often divided into two categories:

Asbestos is a highly durable fibrous mineral that resists:

  • Heat / Fire
  • Friction
  • Pressure
  • Electricity
  • Acids
  • Alkalis
  • Water (does not dissolve)
  • Sound

Unfortunately, asbestos’ durability makes it extremely harmful to humans when inhaled:

Malignant illnesses caused by asbestos are highly damaging and often fatal. They include mesothelioma and other cancers.

Non-malignant health problems brought on by asbestos exposure are not as aggressive, and may not be fatal. But while these conditions are not always life threatening, they are often painful and not curable.

Research into the health effects of asbestos has established conclusively that inhaling asbestos can lead to significant and aggressive cancers and other potentially fatal diseases:

  • Mesothelioma (cancer of the mesothelium, the thin layer of tissue surrounding the body’s organs)
  • Lung cancer
  • Laryngeal cancer (cancer of the larynx, the voice-box part of the throat)
  • Ovarian cancer (cancer of the ovaries)

If you have symptoms of asbestos-related illness, speak to a healthcare professional.

Other malignant diseases that may be linked to asbestos exposure.

Asbestos is highly durable and some particles never leave the body.

Unfortunately many studies show that asbestos fibers can extend their damage beyond the lungs and respiratory system to other parts of the body.

This can lead to other aggressive cancers, including:

  • Stomach cancer
  • Pharyngeal cancer (cancer of the pharynx, the part of the throat behind the nose and mouth)
  • Colon cancer

Asbestos exposure may also be related to cancer of the kidneys, gallbladder, esophagus and bile ducts. These connections are still being studied by health researchers.

Even cancers caused by other factors may be aggravated and intensified by asbestos damage to the body.

Our firm constantly monitors the most up-to-date health research on asbestos. We use it to update our database to develop and strengthen our asbestos claims for our clients.

And while many of our clients suffered from respiratory cancers, we have also helped clients recover compensation from the asbestos industry for cancer in other areas of the body.

If you have symptoms of asbestos-related illness, speak to a healthcare professional.

Asbestos fibers can be microscopic, but are virtually indestructible. Even in small doses, tiny needle-like asbestos fibers can damage bodily tissue and cause health problems.

Nonmalignant illnesses that can be caused by asbestos are not necessarily fatal, but many are extremely painful and degrade a person’s enjoyment of life.

Conditions can get progressively worse. Left unchecked, some nonmalignant, asbestos-related diseases can eventually become life-threatening.

Nonmalignant asbestos-related diseases include:

Asbestosis

Asbestosis is a chronic lung disease caused by breathing in asbestos fibers.

Asbestos can be diagnosed with a breath exam that tests a person’s lung capacity. Asbestos can also be detected with an X-ray that shows excessive whiteness in the lungs.

  • Difficulty breathing
  • Ongoing dry cough
  • Tightness or pain in the chest
  • Clubbing of the fingertips and toes (roundness caused by low oxygen)

Pleural Damage

The pleura is the series of linings around the lungs and throat. Asbestos fibers can lead to various health problems in the pleura, including:

Pleural plaques

Pleural plaques are fiber deposits that form in the linings around the ribcage and diaphragm due to inflammation caused by asbestos fibers. Many pleural plaques caused by asbestos appear only twenty years or more after asbestos fiber inhalation.

There are rarely symptoms of pleural plaques, and a person can have them without knowing. Some patients have a ‘grating’ feeling when they breathe.

Pleural thickening (pleurisy / pleuritis)

Pleurisy (also known as pleuritis or pleural thickening) is an inflammation of the pleura, the tissue separating the lungs from the chest wall.

Pleural effusion

An effusion is a collection of fluid in a space inside the body. Pleural effusion occurs when fluid collects between the lungs and ribs.

  • Chest pain in the chest, especially during breathing
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Chronic cough, especially painful coughing

Collapsed lung (Atelectasis)

Atelectasis is a partially or completely collapsed lung condition that happens when the small sacs that make up the lung (alveoli) deflate or collect fluid.

  • Coughing
  • Wheezing
  • Difficult breathing / shallow breathing
Peritoneal effusion (ascites)

An effusion is a collection of fluid in a space inside the body. Pleural effusion occurs when fluid collects in the peritoneum (the membrane surrounding the digestive system).

Pericardial effusion (pericarditis)

An effusion is a collection of fluid in a space inside the body. Pleural effusion occurs when fluid collects in the pericardium (the membrane surrounding the heart).

  • Shortness of breath / fast breathing
  • Increased heart rate
  • Fainting
  • Chest pain
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Enlarged neck veins
  • Pain in upper right abdomen
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

COPD is a tightening and obstruction of the lungs that makes it difficult to breathe. COPD often includes bronchitis and emphysema, and can lead to high blood pressure, respiratory infections like pneumonia, and even heart attack.

Asbestos exposure does not directly cause COPD, but increases the risk of developing COPD. The condition harms the lungs and makes a person more likely to develop another asbestos-related illness.

  • Cough
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Coughing (especially coughing up mucus)

If you have symptoms of asbestos-related illness, speak to a healthcare professional.

The Law Offices of Justinian C. Lane, Esq

Millions of workers and their families were exposed to asbestos because the asbestos industry hid the dangers of its product.

Courts ordered that billions of insurance dollars be placed in trusts to compensate people with asbestos-related illnesses.

But many people with asbestos-related illnesses who were exposed to asbestos do not know they qualify for compensation.

Most can receive money without filing a lawsuit.

Justinian Means Justice.

We have helped thousands of people receive compensation for health issues that they developed from asbestos exposure.

If you have symptoms of asbestos-related illness, speak to a healthcare professional.

Our archival database has virtually all available information on asbestos use and its health effects. If you think you may have worked with asbestos, we can check your worksite or the products you worked with on our database.

Asbestos never leaves the body.

Asbestos can cause these health problems even if your asbestos exposure took place forty or fifty years ago.
Symptoms can take decades to appear.

Applying for asbestos trust fund compensation is not getting into a fight.

This money was set aside in a trust account for those who were injured.

Applying for a payment from these trusts is not affecting any company or coming out of anyone’s pocket. This is insurance money specifically to help people hurt by asbestos.

The court ordered the funds because the asbestos industry could no longer hide its secret: asbestos is very dangerous to breathe.

Justinian C. Lane, Esq.

My grandfather, grandmother and father were all exposed to asbestos in their work, and all three died of respiratory-related cancers.

I found out too late about the health effects of asbestos to help them.

But my firm has helped many other people receive compensation for health problems they developed from exposure to asbestos.

Call, text or email us for a completely free consultation with no obligation. I will listen to the details of your story, and explain your options. We only work on contingency, so we only get paid if you do.

Every case is different, but the Law Offices of Justinian C. Lane, Esq. – PLLC has obtained large settlements for thousands of people harmed by asbestos. This compensation has helped ease our clients’ financial burdens, and offers a legacy to leave for their loved ones.

At AsbestosClaims.Law, we’ve helped thousands of people who were exposed to asbestos in their job, car or at home.

Can we help you?

1 National Cancer Institute (NIH), Asbestos Fact Sheet
2 Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT ASBESTOS (CAS#: 1332-21-4).
3 Vujoviæ, M., Vukoviæ, J. and Beg-Zec, Z., 2003. Malignant and non-malignant asbestos-related pleural and lung disease: 10-year follow-up study. Public Health, 44(5), pp.618-625.