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2.
What Types of Injuries Are Caused By Asbestos?
When
a person breathes asbestos, fibers can become
lodged in the lungs. Once there, they can cause
scarring. Asbestos fibers can also cause mesothelioma
and lung cancer. The knowledge that asbestos can
cause these fatal diseases has been known since
the 1920's.
The
specific disease types associated with asbestos
exposure include:
Asbestosis:
Asbestos
can scar the lung and the lining of the lung.
This scarring is known as asbestosis or interstitial
fibrosis. If enough scarring occurs, it can impair
the elasticity of the lungs and hamper their ability
to exchange gases. As a result, there is inadequate
oxygen intake to the blood. This impairment leads
to shortness of breath. Over time, the breathing
capacity can diminish and in some cases, become
fatal.
Asbestosis,
like other asbestos diseases, is a disease of
latency -- it takes 10 to 40 years after exposure
to asbestos for a person to become sick.
There
is no known cure for asbestosis.
Mesothelioma:
Asbestos
can also lodge in the lining of the lung -- commonly
known as the pleura. These fibers can cause cancer
in the pleural area, known as mesothelioma. The
only known cause of mesothelioma is asbestos.
Mesothelioma
appears at least 10 years after exposure to asbestos.
In some cases, a person exposed to asbestos over
50 years ago may get mesothelioma this year.
For
a complete description of mesothelioma, click
here to visit our mesothelioma page.
Lung
Cancer:
Asbestos
also causes lung cancer. A person who does not
smoke can get lung cancer from being to exposed
to asbestos. If you smoked in the past or are
presently smoking, and have been diagnosed with
lung cancer, asbestos may also be a cause of your
cancer. For smokers, asbestos and tobacco act
together, greatly increasing the risk of lung
cancer. The combination of smoking and asbestos
can increase the risk of developing lung cancer.
Lung
cancer, depending on its severity and the medical
history of the individual, may be treated.
For
information on cancer treatment centers, click
here.
Other
Cancers:
Asbestos
has also been associated with many other cancers,
including cancers of the throat and stomach areas.
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