John P. Cunha, DO, is a U.S. board-certified Emergency Medicine Physician. Dr. Cunha's educational background includes a BS in Biology from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, and a DO from the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences in Kansas City, MO. He completed residency training in Emergency Medicine at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark, New Jersey.
Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.
Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that has been
linked to human lung disease.
All forms of asbestos increase the risk of lung disease.
The three types of asbestos-related lung disease are scarring (asbestosis),
non-cancerous disease of the tissue of the lining of the surface of the lung
(pleural disease), and lung cancer (of the lungs or their outer lining tissue [mesothelioma]).
Asbestosis is a process of lung tissue scarring caused by asbestos
fibers.
Asbestos is the only known risk factor for malignant mestothelioma, a
cancer that affects the tissue lining the lung (pleura) or abdomen
(peritoneum).
The time between exposure to asbestos and the development of cancer can
be anywhere from 10 to 40 or more years.
Smoking appears to increase the frequency and/or the rate of progression
of asbestosis.
Diagnosis of asbestosis or asbestos-related lung diseases and cancer are
often made using chest X-rays or
CT scans of the lungs.
Treatment of asbestos-related diseases includes
appropriate vaccinations, treatment of lung infections,
smoking cessation, and the use of oxygen if necessary.
If asbestos is suspected in a building, an expert in
asbestos abatement should be consulted for inspection,
correction, and maintenance.
What is the definition asbestos?
Asbestos is a family of naturally occurring silica
compounds (similar to, but not the same as, the silica of
window glass and computer chips). These substances form
fibers with varying shapes and sizes and are found
throughout the earth. There are three commonly available
types of asbestos; chrysotile (white asbestos), amosite
(brown asbestos), and crocidolite (blue asbestos). All
three have been associated with cancerous and non-cancerous
lung disease.
Asbestos has been used frequently in a variety of
building materials for insulation and as a fire retardant, and in break pads in
cars.
Today, it is found most commonly in older homes - in
pipes, furnaces, roof shingles, millboard, textured paints,
coating materials, and floor tiles.
What are the types of asbestos-related
lung disease?
Lung disease from exposure to asbestos can be divided
into three main types: 1) asbestosis, 2) disease of the lining of
the lung (pleura), and 3) lung cancer.
Asbestosis is a
process of widespread scarring of the lungs.
Disease of the
lining of the lungs, called the pleura, has a variety of
signs and symptoms and is the result of inflammation and
the hardening (calcification) and/or thickening of the
lining tissue.
Lung cancer,
either of the internal portions of the lungs or the outer
lining (pleura).
All of the commonly available commercial
forms of asbestos have been linked to cancerous and non-cancerous lung disease.
Asbestos-related lung disease occurred at very high
rates toward the middle of the 20th century, when patients
who were exposed decades earlier to asbestos eventually developed
disease. British asbestos workers were among the first who
were observed to have lung cancer related to asbestos.
Most current patients were once exposed to asbestos in:
mines,
mills,
factories, or
homes with asbestos, either in
the process of carrying, installing, or removing asbestos,
or while cleaning items laden with asbestos dust.
Some
workers have been exposed to high concentrations of asbestos in:
automotive repair,
boilermaking,
construction,
pipefitting,
launderers of asbestos-containing clothing.
Continuing sources of exposure
are asbestos removal and general construction
industries. The delay between exposure to asbestos and the
development of cancer can be anywhere from 10 to 40 or more years.
Despite not using asbestos in construction materials for the last 30 years, the
number of deaths from asbestosis has increased over the past two decades. A 2009
study to assess the incidence of asbestos-related deaths concluded that the
death rate is not expected to decrease sharply in the next 10 to 15 years.
Cases of asbestos exposure have been seen in the World Trade Center rescue
and recovery workers.
Lung cancer kills more men and women than any other form of cancer. Eight out of 10 lung cancers are due
to tobacco smoke. Lung cancers are classified as either small cell or non-small
cell cancers.
There are several types of kidney cancer, including renal cell cancer (renal adenocarcinoma or hypernephroma), transitional cell carcinoma, and Wilms tumor. Symptoms of kidney cancer include blood in the urine, an abdominal lump or mass, chronic pain in the side, and tiredness. Treatment of kidney cancer--which may include surgery, arterial embolization, radiation therapy, biological therapy or chemotherapy--depends upon the stage of the disease and the patient's overall health.
Esophageal cancer is a disease in which malignant cells form in the esophagus. Risk factors of cancer of the esophagus include smoking, heavy alcohol use, Barrett's esophagus, being male and being over age 60. Severe weight loss, vomiting, hoarseness, coughing up blood, painful swallowing, and pain in the throat or back are symptoms. Treatment depends upon the size, location and staging of the cancer and the health of the patient.
Pleurisy, an inflammation of the lining around the lungs, is associated with sharp chest pain upon breathing in. Cough, chest tenderness, and shortness of breath are other symptoms associated with pleurisy. Pleurisy pain can be managed with pain medication and by external splinting of the chest wall.
Cancer is a disease caused by an abnormal growth of cells, also called malignancy. It is a group of 100 different diseases, and is not contagious. Cancer can be treated through chemotherapy, a treatment of drugs that destroy cancer cells.
Pulmonary fibrosis is scarring throughout the lungs. Pulmonary fibrosis can be caused by many conditions including chronic inflammatory processes, infections, environmental agents, exposure to ionizing radiation, chronic conditions, and certain medications. Symptoms include shortness of breath, coughing, and diminished exercise tolerance. Treatment options are dependent on the type of pulmonary fibrosis; lung transplant and/or medications are optons.
Symptoms of cancer of the larynx, the organ at the front of the neck, include hoarseness, a lump in the neck, sore throat, cough, problems breathing, bad breath, earache, and weight loss. Treatment for larynx cancer depends on the stage (the extent) of the disease. Radiation therapy, surgery, and chemotherapy are all forms of treatment for laryngeal cancer.
Pleural effusion is an excess fluid between the two membranes that envelop the lungs. There are two classifications of causes of pleural effusion; transudate and exudate. The treatment of pleural effusion depends on the cause.
Interstitial lung disease, is a term to describe a certain lung condition. Causes of interstitial lung disease include lung infection, exposure to toxins in the environment (asbestos for example), medications (chemotherapy), radiation therapy, and chronic autoimmune disorders. Common symptoms of interstitial lung disease include a dry cough and shortness of breath. Diagnosis and treatment depend upon the cause of the condition.
Head and neck cancer is cancer of the oral cavity, salivary glands, paranasal sinuses and nasal cavity, pharynx, larynx, or lymph nodes in the upper part of the neck. These cancers account for 3% to 5% of cancers in the U.S. Tobacco and alcohol use are important risk factors. Treatment may involve surgery, radiation therapy, and/or chemotherapy.
Though it's difficult to say why some people develop cancer while others don't, research shows that certain risk factors increase a person's odds of developing cancer. These risk factors include growing older, family history of cancer, diet, alcohol and tobacco use, and exposure to sunlight, ionizing radiation, certain chemicals, and some viruses and bacteria.
Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that forms in the chest lining (pleural mesothelioma), abdomen (peritoneal mesothelioma), and the heart sac (pericardial mesothelioma) in rare cases. Chest pain, shortness of breath, weight loss, and night sweats are symptoms and signs of mesothelioma. Treatment depends upon the stage and type of mesothelioma.
The lungs are primarily responsible for the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide between the air we breathe and the blood. Eliminating carbon dioxide from the blood is important, because as it builds up in the blood, headaches, drowsiness, coma, and eventually death may occur. The air we breathe in (inhalation) is warmed, humidified, and cleaned by the nose and the lungs.
A pleural effusion is a collection of fluid in the space between the two
linings (pleura) of the lung.
When we breathe, it is like a bellows. We inhale air into our lungs and the ribs move out and the diaphragm moves down. For the lung to expand, its lining has to slide along with the chest wall
movement. For this to happen, both the lungs and the ribs are covered with a
slippery lining called the pleura. A small amount of fluid acts as a lubricant
for these two surfaces to slide easily against each other.
Too much fluid impairs the ability of the lung to expand and move.
What causes pleural effusion?
A pleural effusion is not normal. It is not a disease but rather a
complication of an underlying illness. Extra fluid (effusion) can occur for a
variety of reasons. Common classification systems divide pleura...
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