Asbestosis
Asbestosis is a benign (non-cancerous) disease caused by exposure to asbestos fibers that become lodged in the lungs. The lungs try to protect the body from these foreign bodies by building up scar tissue around them, which over time diminishes the lung's capacity for oxygen.
Asbestosis is a progressive disease: as the scarring of the lungs increases, the lungs' vital capacity decreases. Asbestosis can cause severe shortness of breath, fatigue, chest pain, and heart problems. Asbestosis may also affect people with asbestos-caused cancers such as mesothelioma and lung cancer, although asbestosis does not develop into these or any other kind of cancer.
Asbestosis is what’s called a latent disease. This means that asbestosis develops many years, even decades, after a person's initial exposure to asbestos. The latency period for asbestosis is usually at least 15 years after a person’s initial exposure, but can be shorter or longer.
Asbestos is a "dose-response" disease. That means that the more asbestos a person is exposed to, the higher his or her risk for developing asbestosis.
There is no known treatment or cure for asbestosis. People with advanced asbestosis may require oxygen respirators to help them breathe.
