Asbestos exposure has been linked to a number of serious and potentially fatal health conditions. In many cases, workers who were exposed to asbestos may only begin to show signs of diseases caused by asbestos decades after they were exposed.
Workers who believe they were exposed to asbestos and are experiencing symptoms of an asbestos-related disease may be eligible to receive a free health examination to diagnose their condition.
Some of the most common diseases that are linked to asbestos exposure include:
MESOTHELIOMA
Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that affects the lining around the body’s internal organs, which are known as the mesothelium.
Asbestos exposure is the only known cause of mesothelioma cancer. When asbestos fibers become lodged in the lining of the lungs, abdomen, heart, or testicles, they can cause mutations in the body’s cells that cause cancer to develop. Most patients who develop this disease only begin to develop symptoms and receive a diagnosis decades after they were exposed to asbestos.
Mesothelioma is an extremely aggressive form of cancer. Even though treatment options are available, the normal survival rate for patients who are diagnosed with mesothelioma is usually only a few months to a few years.
There are four types of mesothelioma cancer:
Pleural Mesothelioma
Pleural mesothelioma affects the lining of the lungs. Symptoms of pleural mesothelioma may include:
- Chest pain
- Cough
- Lumps beneath the skin in the chest area
- Shortness of breath
- Weight loss
Pericardial Mesothelioma
Pericardial mesothelioma is a form of the disease that affects the lining of the heart.
Patients with pericardial mesothelioma may experience symptoms that can include breathing problems and chest pain.
However, because this type of mesothelioma is less common than the pleural and peritoneal forms of the disease, the symptoms of pericardial mesothelioma are less well-understood.
Testicular Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma of tunica vaginalis, or testicular mesothelioma, affects the lining of the testicles.
Patients with testicular mesothelioma may notice swelling or a lump of tissue on one of their testicles.
Testicular mesothelioma is an uncommon type of this disease, representing less than 1% of all mesothelioma cases.
ASBESTOSIS
Asbestosis is a non-cancerous lung disease caused by asbestos exposure. When asbestos fibers become lodged in the lungs, they can produce scarring that causes the lungs to become stiff, making it difficult to breathe normally. As more lung tissue becomes scarred, they can become so stiff that it is almost impossible to breathe normally.
Like mesothelioma cancer, the first symptoms of asbestosis typically don’t appear until decades after asbestos exposure.
Some of the most common symptoms of asbestosis include:
- Chest pain
- Chest tightness
- Clubbed fingertips or toes
- Dry cough
- Loss of appetite
- Shortness of breath
- Weight loss
Although there is no way to reverse the effects of asbestosis on the lungs, treatments are available that can help slow the disease and relieve symptoms.
LUNG CANCER
Asbestos-related lung cancers affect the tissue inside the lungs, unlike mesothelioma, which involves the lining that surrounds the lungs. Asbestos fibers become lodged inside the lungs, where they cause abnormal growth in the lung tissue that leads to cancer.
There are two types of lung cancer linked to asbestos exposure: small cell lung cancer and non-small cell lung cancer.
Because asbestos lung cancers are caused by the presence of asbestos fibers inside the lungs, patients who have already been diagnosed with asbestosis are at an increased risk of also developing lung cancer.
Lung cancers caused by asbestosis share many common symptoms with pleural mesothelioma. Common symptoms of asbestos-related lung cancer may include:
- Chest pain
- Cough
- Breathing problems
- Tiredness
- Weight loss
Treatments with radiation, chemotherapy, or surgery may be able to entirely remove cancerous growths in the lungs caused by asbestos.
OTHER ASBESTOS CANCERS
Although less common than mesothelioma and lung cancer, asbestos exposure has also been linked to an increased risk of developing several additional types of cancer.
Some cases of ovarian cancer have been linked to asbestos exposure, especially in women who used talcum powder products that were contaminated with asbestos.
Laryngeal cancer is sometimes caused by asbestos exposure, although cancer of the larynx is more commonly due to smoking or alcohol use.
Bile duct cancer may occur when asbestos fibers become trapped in the tubes that connect the gallbladder to the liver.
Asbestos exposure may also be linked to cases of esophageal cancer, gallbladder cancer, kidney cancer, or throat cancer, although the evidence between these diseases and asbestos is less certain.
OTHER NON-CANCEROUS ASBESTOS DISEASES
Asbestos exposure has also been linked to a number of non-cancerous diseases that can affect the lungs or other organs, including:
- Atelactasis, also known as a partial collapsed lung, occurs when the lungs fail to fully inflate during breathing. Atelactasis sometimes occurs together with pleural thickening.
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is not directly caused by asbestos, but can occur in patients with other asbestos-related illnesses.
- Pericardial effusions, or excess fluid around the lining of the heart, may cause breathing problems or chest pain.
- Peritoneal effusions (also known as ascites) involve fluid buildup in the lining of the abdomen. Peritoneal effusions may occur in patients who have been diagnsoed with peritoneal mesothelioma.
- Pleural effusions, or fluid buildup in the lining of the lungs, can cause shortness of breath and may occur in patients with pleural mesothelioma or other non-asbestos-related cancers.
- Pleural plaques are calcium buildups in the lining of the lungs, which may be linked to a future risk of pleural mesothelioma.
- Pleural thickening is caused by scars on the lining of the lungs that cause these tissues to become more thick, leading to breathing problems.
- Pleuritis or pleurisy involves inflammation of the lining of the heart due to asbestos fibers, which can cause chest pain. Pleuritis may occur together with pleural effusion.
Learn More About Free Asbestos Testing
If you or a loved one worked in occupations or at job sites where you may have been exposed to asbestos, you may be eligible to receive a free health examination to determine whether you are experiencing symptoms of an asbestos-related disease.
To learn more about how to receive your free asbestos health exam, contact the law firm of Hissey, Mulderig & Friend by calling toll-free at 1-855-500-3734.
You can also reach us by sending us a message through our free contact form, which is located on the top left side of this page.
After we receive your message, a member of our staff will contact you for additional information and to help you schedule your free asbestos test.