A disease of the lungs caused by inhaling asbestos dust.
Chronic, progressive lung disease, resulting from breathing in the mineral asbestos and common among asbestos miners and roofers; it is marked by fibrosis of lung tissue. Symptoms include shortness of breath and cough, often leading to respiratory failure; lung cancer is a frequent complication.
Pneumoconiosis caused by inhalation of asbestosis fibers, usually from occupational exposure.
A form of the lung disease pulmonary fibrosis that is caused by breathing asbestos dust particles and results in extensive scarring of the lung tissue. Asbestos is a tough, nearly indestructible fiber composed of mineral silicates. Asbestosis can also cause thickening of the membrane layer, called the pleura, that covers the lungs. The risk of developing asbestosis is greater among people who have ongoing exposure to asbestos, such as demolition workers who work on old buildings that are insulated with material containing asbestos. The greater and longer the exposure to asbestos-containing materials, the higher the risk becomes. Asbestosis also greatly increases the risk of lung cancer in cigarette smokers, especially those who smoke more than one pack of cigarettes a day and experience prolonged exposure to asbestos.
A lung disease, a form of pneumoconiosis, caused by fibers of asbestos inhaled by those who are exposed to large amounts of the mineral. The incidence of lung cancer is high in such patients, particularly if they smoke cigarettes.
A form of pneumoconiosis, in which widespread fine scarring occurs in the lungs, leading to severe breathing disability. The main hazard, however, is the risk of cancer (mesothelioma) of the lung or pleura, or sometimes of the ovary. It is caused by the inhalation of mainly blue or brown asbestos dust, either during mining or quarrying, or in one of the many industries in which it is used — for example, as an insulating material, in the making of paper, cardboard and brake linings. A person suffering from asbestosis is entitled to compensation, as the disease is legally proscribed. About 900 people a year in the UK claim compensation, and 600 of these for mesothelioma; most patients now being diagnosed with asbestosis have it as a consequence of industrial practices used before 1970. The use of asbestos is now strictly controlled, and when blue asbestos is found in old buildings, skilled workmen are employed to dispose of it.
A fibrous, incombustible form of magnesium and calcium silicate used to make insulating materials. Although asbestos fibers are commercially useful, they have been implicated in several human diseases, including fibrosis of the lung and cancers of the respiratory and gastrointestinal systems. Because of these health hazards they are no longer sold or manufactured in the U.S.
A pneumonoconiosis resulting from protracted inhalation of asbestos particles, which penetrate bronchioles and alveolar walls causing diffuse interstitial fibrosis.
A medical condition that occurs from breathing in asbestos dust, leading to scarring in the lungs and the sticking together of the lung linings.