NASAG

Archive for the ‘Asbestosis’ Category

Asbestosis is the name given to fibrosis (hardening or scarring) round the air sacs in the lungs caused by inhaling asbestos dust/fibres. It is NOT a cancer and usually occurs in people who have had had heavy exposure to asbestos at work.

Many people believe that asbestosis is a cancer and confuse it with the malignant disease mesothelioma.

Asbestosis is also called “interstitial pulmonary fibrosis”, which means that the lung itself is damaged by the body’s inflammatory reaction to asbestos fibres. The inflammation results in scar tissue or fibrosis, building up in the insertstitium (tissue between the air sacs).

The fibrosis reduces the elasticity of the lungs and they then become stiff making it less easy for the lungs to inflate on breathing. It is not possible to reverse the fibrosis but drugs and inhalers may help to relive the symptoms. Symptoms of asbestosis include breathlessness, especially on exertion, a dry cough and chest tightness.

Asbestosis may progress even long after exposure has ceased and it cannot be reversed.

However the extent of the progression varies widely as does the affects on breathing. It can take up to 10 to 40 years for asbestosis to develop, but this time scale may vary.