Health Effects of Asbestos

Asbestos is a fibrous substance classified as a human carcinogen. Asbestos fibers might enter the body through inhalation or ingestion. Because the body cannot break down or eliminate asbestos fibers once they enter the lungs or body tissues, the fibers become trapped, causing serious health problems. Exposure to asbestos can lead to signs of lung abnormalities (pleural plaques) or to scarring of the lung tissues (asbestosis) and two types of cancer (lung cancer and mesothelioma).

The risk for asbestos-related disease depends on many factors, including type of asbestos fiber, level of exposure, duration of exposure, and smoking history of the person. The latency period for these diseases ranges from 10 years to 30 years. Following is a description of the three known asbestos-related diseases.

• Asbestosis is a serious, chronic, noncancerous respiratory illness. Asbestosis causes scarring of the lung tissues, making breathing more difficult as the scarring increases. The disease can lead to heart failure. Asbestosis is usually caused by chronic occupational exposure to asbestos. No effective treatment exists for asbestosis, and the disease might be disabling or fatal.
  

• Lung cancer accounts for about 50% of all asbestos-related diseases. Studies have shown that asbestos workers are five times more likely to develop lung cancer than are workers who are not exposed to asbestos. In addition, asbestos workers who smoke are 50 to 90 times more likely to develop lung cancer in comparison with nonsmokers who are not exposed to asbestos. In the United States, only 14% of patients with lung cancer survive for 5 years. ⁽¹⁾

• Mesothelioma is a cancer of the lining of the chest or abdomen. Mesothelioma is a rare cancer—about 200 cases are diagnosed in the United States each year. Mesothelioma is incurable and is usually fatal within 1 year after diagnosis. The majority of mesotheliomas are caused by exposure to asbestos. Mesothelioma accounts for 10% to 18% of deaths among workers exposed to asbestos.

Reference
1. DeVita VT, Hellman S, Rosenberg SA, editors. Principles and practices of oncology. 6th edition. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2001.