Asbestosis
In addition to mesothelioma, another major asbestos danger is asbestosis. Like mesothelioma, asbestosis is caused by inhaling and retaining asbestos fibers. Asbestosis is a non-cancerous, chronic, progressive, inflammatory and fibrotic lung disease. When the microscopic razor sharp asbestos fibers become lodged in the lung lining, the tissue becomes irritated and scarred. The encroaching scar tissue slowly cuts off oxygen supply, eventually suffocating the victim.
Also like mesothelioma, asbestosis can take up to 40 years after asbestos exposure to appear. Asbestosis symptoms can appear after high intensity or prolonged exposure to asbestos, especially in individuals involved in the manufacture or end-use of asbestos and asbestos products. Those who worked with the mining, manufacturing, handling, or removal of asbestos products are most at risk for developing asbestosis.
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Asbestosis Symptoms
The major symptoms of asbestosis is dyspnea, or shortness of breath. Dyspnea and chronic coughing generally become worse as the disease progresses. Sufferers of asbestosis are also at an increased risk for some cancers, including lung cancer and mesothelioma. This is especially true for asbestosis sufferers who smoke. Smokers are 55% more likely to develop mesothelioma than asbestosis victims who do not smoke
Asbestosis has been shown to lower a person's resistance to secondary diseases, like pneumonia, emphysema, and tuberculosis. In some cases, asbestosis may have caused these types of diseases to become fatal.
Asbestosis History
One of the first asbestosis victims was Henry Wards Johns, founder of the company that would eventually become Johns-Manville, the largest asbestos company in the United States. Although the official cause of death was “dust phthisis pneumonitis,” the cause of his demise was almost certainly asbestosis.
The disease was first officially named in medical literature in 1924. Dr. W. E. Cooke, a British physician used the term ‘asbestosis’ to when describing the case of a 33-year-old woman who had died after working in an asbestos textile factory for 20 years. The report, published in the British Medical Journal, started a wave of interest around asbestos in the British medical community.
If you or a loved one has a history of asbestos exposure, visit our Testing for Asbestos-Related Illness page. There you will find information on the various medical tests available for confirming the presence of asbestos-related illnesses and abnormalities.
Have Asbestosis? Asbestos Attorneys May Be Able To Help
Asbestos laws have been put in place to help asbestosis sufferers get financial compensation from the companies that put their health and lives at risk.
An asbestos attorney can help you navigate the complexities of asbestos law to get the asbestos settlement your family needs to help pay their expenses, including medical bills.
Although nothing can ever truly compensate for loss of health or life, our asbestos attorneys are devoted to getting you the justice you deserve.