Asbestosis: Overview

Asbestosis is mechanical damage to the lung caused by inhaling asbestos. The asbestos fibers tend to irritate the lung tissue causing inflammation. The condition may not surface for years after the inhalation of asbestos, and many times asbestosis takes more than twenty years to manifest itself.

The inflammation and scarring caused by the lodged asbestos fibers eventually cause breathing difficulties (from shortness of breath to respiratory failure) and may lead to mesothelioma and lung cancer (especially in smokers). Other complications include tuberculosis, inflammation of the tissue lining the lungs (pleurisy), and heart failure.

See Also¶

1. Lung & Airway Disorders
2. Asbestos
3. Libby, Montana: Overview
4. Lindberg Hevi-Duty Electric - Watertown, Wisconsin
5. Los Alamos National Laboratory - New Mexico
6. Respirator Masks
7. Stauffer Chemical: Overview
8. Troy, Montana
9. W.R. Grace & Co. Site - West Chicago, Illinois
10. W.R. Grace/Zonolite Co. Plant - Beltsville, Maryland
11. Zonolite/W.R. Grace Plant - Dearborn, Michigan