What Types of Injuries Are Caused By Asbestos?
When a person breathes asbestos, fibers can become lodged in the lungs. Once there, they can cause scarring. Asbestos fibers can also cause mesothelioma and lung cancer. The knowledge that asbestos can cause these fatal diseases has been known since the 1920’s. The specific disease types associated with asbestos exposure include: Asbestosis: Asbestos can scar the lung and the lining of the lung. This scarring is known as asbestosis or interstitial fibrosis. If enough scarring occurs, it can impair the elasticity of the lungs and hamper their ability to exchange gases. As a result, there is inadequate oxygen intake to the blood. This impairment leads to shortness of breath. Over time, the breathing capacity can diminish and in some cases, become fatal. Asbestosis, like other asbestos diseases, is a disease of latency — it takes 10 to 40 years after exposure to asbestos for a person to become sick. There is no known cure for asbestosis. Mesothelioma: Asbestos can also lodge in the linin
