Asbestos Related Disorders
Medical Author: John P. Cunha, DO
Medical Editor: William C. Shiel, Jr., MD, FACP, FACR
What is 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.
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 is generally 20 or more years.
The number of deaths from asbestosis has increased over the past two decades, but is believed to have plateaued due to increased awareness of the risks.
Next: What are the types of asbestos fibers? »
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