Asbestos - What Are the Health Risks of Exposure to This Material?

Prolonged exposure to airborne asbestos fibers increases the risk of several diseases such as mesothelioma cancer, asbestosis, pleural disease, lung cancer and other cancers and tumors.
Mesothelioma is a rare but severe form of cancer that is found in the pleura, the peritoneum or the pericardium. The pleura is the lining of the chest and lungs, the peritoneum is the lining of the abdomen and the pericardium is the space around the heart. There are three types of mesothelioma that are pleural mesothelioma (mesothelioma cancer of the pleura), peritoneal mesothelioma (mesothelioma cancer of the peritoneum) and pericardial mesothelioma (mesothelioma cancer of the pericardium).
Mesothelioma takes a long time to develop after the individual is exposed to airborne asbestos fibers. Because of this people that suffer from mesothelioma are usually over 55 years of age. Unfortunately current treatments are not so effective in curing the disease and the average survival rate is quite low. Further more mesothelioma is usually detected when it has already well advanced.
Asbestosis develops after long-term heavy exposure to airborne asbestos fibers. This is a different situation from mesothelioma where a few months or even weeks may be enough to develop mesothelioma. Also, while mesothelioma takes 20 to 50 years to develop, asbestosis usually develops after 5 to 10 years to exposure to asbestos fibers. Unlike mesothelioma this disease is however non-cancerous. Asbestosis is the scarring of the parenchymal tissue of the lungs. Such scarring can occur when asbestos fibers reach the alveoli (clusters of honeycombed air sacs in the lungs). The severity of scarring depends on the degree of exposure to asbestos fibers.
Individuals that suffer from asbestosis can develop such conditions as impaired breathing, which in rare circumstances may result even in respiratory failure. They have also a higher risk of developing mesothelioma and lung cancer. Asbestosis is a chronic medical condition and so there is not a definitive treatment for this condition. Shortness of breath can however be relieved by oxygen therapy. Other supportive treatments may include physiotherapy and the prescription of medications.
Pleural disease may be an early sign for the development of other asbestos-related diseases. As in other asbestos related diseases, it develops because of heavy and prolonged exposure to asbestos fibers. Pleural disease is any scarring of the pleura (lining of the lungs). As the walls of the lungs become thickened, the body tries to remove the asbestos fibers. It often results in breathing difficulties.
Lung cancer has a latency period (i.e. it develops) after twenty years or more after the exposure to airborne asbestos fibers. The risk of lung cancer increases greatly if the individual is also a smoker. The risk further increases if the individual is exposed to asbestos fibers and to cigarette smoking at the same time.
Other cancers that may develop by exposure to asbestos include cancers of the kidney, gastrointestinal tract, larynx and oropharynx. Exposure may also result in the development of benign tumors. These types of tumors do not spread to other parts of the body. Usually they pose little or no risk to the health of the individual.