Asbestos Diseases are Scientifically Linked to Exposure to Asbestos

Construction and manufacturing companies have used Asbestos for centuries. Records show the use of Asbestos as far back as 4,500 years ago in Finland, where pot makers used it since their products were for cooking.

Asbestos found its way into many products because of its strength and protection from heat and fire. Asbestos once was in insulation for home construction, appliances, and shipbuilding. Then, scientists and physicians documented health issues like asbestos cancer at the beginning of the twentieth century.

People who lived near asbestos mines or were exposed to asbestos while working were sick and dying. Since the 1920s, regulations have begun worldwide to protect people from asbestos exposure.

Today, research has proven that asbestos exposure causes these diseases. These diseases are life-altering and sometimes fatal. However, exposure can be just breathing in a single asbestos fiber.

Statistics on Asbestos Exposure

There are several diseases linked to asbestos exposure. The most deadly of these is mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer caused by asbestos exposure.

Mesothelioma can appear in workers who have spent years breathing in asbestos dust every day, eight hours a day. In addition, there are cases where innocent victims whose only exposure was washing their spouse's clothing who've worked with asbestos.

Other asbestos diseases include asbestosis, a chronic lung condition caused by consistent exposure to asbestos dust. In asbestosis, the dust inhaled creates an inflammatory response in the cells of the lungs.

Scar tissue forms as the lungs respond to the foreign body by becoming inflamed. This layer of tissue hardens, making it difficult for asbestosis patients to take a deep breath.

Asbestosis has no cure. Patients get treated with medications that help expand constricted lungs or provide more oxygen. The only solution to the impact of asbestos on the lungs is a lung transplant. Asbestosis also can lead to lung cancer and lung cancer in non-smokers.

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