How much asbestos causes illness?
Most people do not become ill from the asbestos they are exposed to. Asbestos exposure becomes a health concern when high concentrations of asbestos fibers are inhaled over a long time period. People who become ill from asbestos are almost always those who are exposed on a day-to-day basis in a job where they work directly with the material. As a person’s exposure to fibers increases, either by breathing more fibers or by breathing fibers for a longer time, that person’s risk of disease also increases. It can take anywhere from 10 to 40 years for someone to develop an asbestos-related illness after their exposure. Disease is very unlikely to result from a single, high-level exposure, or from a short period of exposure to lower levels. What are some illnesses caused by prolonged or concentrated exposure to asbestos in the workplace? Asbestosis -is a serious, progressive disease associated with long-term exposure to asbestos that causes damage (called ‘scarring’) to lung tissue. The symp
