Asbestosis

Alternative names:

pulmonary fibrosis resulting from asbestos exposure

Definition:

A respiratory disease caused by inhaling asbestos fibers.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

Inhaling asbestos fibers can cause scar tissue (fibrosis) to form inside the lung. Scarred lung tissue does not expand and contract (elasticity) normally. The severity of the respiratory disease depends upon the duration of exposure and the amount inhaled.

Asbestos fibers were commonly used in construction before 1975. Asbestos exposure occurs from asbestos mining and milling industries, construction, fireproofing, and other industries. In families of asbestos workers, exposure can also occur from particles brought home in the worker's clothing. Asbestos-related disease includes pleural plaques (calcification), malignant (cancerous) tumor called mesotheliomas--see mesothelioma (malignant), and pleural effusion. Mesotheliomas may develop 20 to 40 years after exposure. More than 9 million workers are at risk of developing this disease. Cigarette smoking increases the risk of developing the disease. The incidence is 4 out of 10,000 people.