Asbestosis & Asbestos Exposure

Asbestos fibers are the main cause of asbestosis and mesothelioma because they implant themselves in soft tissue near the lungs. This will not allow the normal functioning of the lungs, resulting in the breathing problems.

What is asbestosis?

Asbestosis is a form of breathing disorder that researchers and experts relate to asbestos exposure, although some times it also caused by other materials. This is the basic definition of asbestosis, commonly agreed upon by medical doctors and experts in the field of asbestos related diseases.

Asbestosis is different from mesothelioma; asbestosis develops in the lungs of a person while mesothelioma cancer develops in the lining or pleura, also called pleural mesothelioma.

Asbestosis and the lungs

The lungs are one of the largest organs in the body that help the body inhale and exhale air.

While the oxygen is taken from air, asbestos particles come along, penetrate soft tissue and create scars on lungs’ surface, creating breathing difficulties.

How asbestosis affects other organs?

In certain specific cases asbestosis, the same like mesothelioma can spread to other organs, under the form of cancerous tissue. The following are possible developments of the lung disease:

Heart

Liver

Brain

Because usually only one of the lungs is affected, the disease could affect the tissue in the other lung to

If asbestosis has spread it usually means it has developed into lung cancer. You shouldn’t worry, because asbestosis treatments will not allow developing cancer. One other disorder that could develop together with asbestosis is pneumoconiosis, as well as pool’s disease.

Asbestosis disease symptoms

Such as any other disease, asbestosis comes with a set of symptoms when it starts to develop. These should be a clear sign of asbestosis disease, but because of the similarity between these and the symptoms of other common disorders. Here is what you should be looking out for:

Shortness of breath

Dry cough, persistent to common used treatment methods

Chest pain, in extreme cases

You should also know that some times, the asbestosis disease might go by unnoticed as a result of the lack of asbestosis symptoms.

Causes of asbestosis disease

As even the name suggests, it is a disease common with people that work around asbestos or products containing the mineral regularly. Asbestos causes asbestosis shortly after the exposure has occurred, as opposed to other disease caused by it, like mesothelioma.

The asbestosis prognosis is usually positive for people that are treated appropriately. There have only been a handful of cases with asbestosis deaths. Asbestos particles that have not caused mesothelioma will not prove deadly for the person that was exposed.

Asbestosis treatments

Asbestosis diagnosis is extremely important for the adequate treatment to be taken. As asbestosis symptoms are not particular to this disease especially, the diagnosis can be delayed a lot. There are several ways in which doctors try to cure, but asbestosis treatments vary from one person to another.

Legal Asbestosis

The mesothelioma and asbestosis lawyer can help you get the compensation for the well-known expensive treatment. There has been a long history of asbestosis and mesothelioma lawsuits because of the fact that most of the time, the disease is caused by the employer not providing with the necessary protective equipment. Almost all of them have been decided in the favor of the claimant.

Feel free to contact asbestosis and mesothelioma centers. We will be glad to help in any way, completely free.

Asbestos exposure causes deadly diseases such as mesothelioma or cancer of the linings that cover the vital organs. The disease derives its name from the mesothelium, a protective lining that covers most of the body's internal organs, where the malignant cells develop. When the lungs are involved, the pleura or outer lining of the lungs and internal chest wall refers to pleural mesothelioma. It may also occur in the peritoneum (the lining of the abdominal cavity), the heart, the pericardium (a sac that surrounds the heart) or tunica vaginalis.
This is an occupational hazard that affected a large number of people working with asbestos or in an asbestos-infested environment before the fact became public in the 1970s. Industries most at risk included the Navy, that used asbestos extensively and all construction related work as it included use of products that contained asbestos for its fire retardant and heat resistant properties. Demolition work in present times is the most susceptible for workers owing to pulling down or renovation of buildings that were constructed in the period when asbestos reigned as the miracle material of the age.

What to do if exposed to asbestos?

If you recall being exposed to asbestos during your professional life, it is necessary to see an asbestosis and mesothelioma doctor at once. Effect of the exposure depends on various factors which need to be assessed on priority:

• Exposure concentration
• Exposure duration
• Exposure frequency
• Size, shape and chemical makeup of asbestos fibers
• Habits of the individual such as smoking

It is necessary get regular health checkups and stop smoking. Also, using protective equipment if you are still working is mandatory. Consider seeking compensation if the test results are positive.

Symptoms after Asbestos Exposure

Symptoms that can indicate possible presence of mesothelioma in the body and require immediate attention include:

• Shortness of breath
• A constant cough or coughing up blood
• Pain in the chest or abdomen or bones
• Substantial weight loss
• Difficulty in swallowing

A medical examination will include a chest x-ray, CT scans, MRI, lung function tests, and blood and urine and other medical tests. Biopsy procedures may be advised; these test fluid samples and tissue for the presence of cancerous cells and also reveal the cancer’s progression and metastasizing; i.e., whether other parts of the body have already been affected or not.

Asbestos Exposure for a Short Period

Generally, the longer the exposure, the more the chances of the progression of the disease. While most fibers that are inhaled while working with asbestos are expelled when we breathe out, even a single asbestos fiber entering the lungs can become trapped in the airways and lung tissue. This can fester and cause scarring of the lung tissue and manifest as mesothelioma eventually.

Asbestos Exposure for a Long Period

If exposure to asbestos has been ongoing for a long period, the risk of developing mesothelioma in lateryears increases manifold. Research on groups of workers with exposures ranging from about 5 to 1,200 fiberyear/mL confirms this. Exposure across 40 or more years of occupational exposure to air concentrations of 0.125 to 30 fiber/mL is most likely  to result in tumors or cancers in the lungs, stomach, heart and/or other linings. The gestation period of 50 to70 years is exceptionally long and generally makes recall

difficult regarding the exact exposure levels anyway; a legal recourse usually depends on proof of employment, class action suits, if any, and/or related medical reports.

Asbestos exposure with cancer! What's next?

If you have been exposed to asbestos, help from medical experts and the legal fraternity are all that you have to go on. The medical path leads to the trimodal approach that includes surgery, radiation and chemotherapy as palliative measures in the absence of curative and preventive aspects. Owing to the long gestation period of the disease, the diagnosis often occurs in declining years when the disease has already established a grip and not much can be done other than trying to improve the quality of the remaining years. Some patients may also opt for experimental procedures such a gene therapy and immunotherapy, or choose to be part of a clinical trial. Studies are always ongoing to test up-and-coming treatment options and medications. Mesothelioma patients who qualify for various studies and participate in an effort to help medical professionals search for a mesothelioma cure make important contributions for the benefit of others.

Legal Asbestos

Legally, working towards and obtaining asbestosis compensation or mesothelioma compensation with the help of experienced attorneys goes a long way to help meet the heavy cost of medical treatment. It also makes the perpetrators accountable; this group often comprises companies that knowingly manufactured asbestos-contaminated products disregarding human safety and health for large amounts of immediate pecuniary gains. Different states have different rules regarding the time period during which a case may be registered relating to mesothelioma. To know the rules applicable to your own case, it is imperative that you contact a mesothelioma lawyer at once so that you do not miss your chance of compensation for lack of adequate information.