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Asbestos is the single greatest cause of work-related deaths in the UK. Asbestos-related diseases currently kill around 5000 people a year in Great Britain.
Breathing asbestos can cause tiny asbestos fibers to get stuck in the lungs and irritate lung tissues.
Scientific studies have shown that the following non-cancer diseases can be caused by breathing asbestos:
is scarring in the lungs caused by breathing asbestos fibers. Oxygen and carbon dioxide do not pass in and out of scarred lungs easily, so breathing becomes harder. Asbestosis usually occurs in people who have had very high exposures over a long time, but years may pass before any symptoms appear.
is a non-cancerous lung condition that causes changes in the membrane surrounding the lungs and chest cavity (pleura). The membrane may become thicker throughout (diffuse pleural thickening) or in isolated areas (pleural plaques), or fluid may build up around the lungs (known as a pleural effusion). Not everyone with pleural changes will have problems breathing, but some may have less efficient lung function.
Asbestos exposure also increases the risk of developing certain cancers:
Lung cancer is a malignant tumour that invades and blocks the lung’s air passages. Smoking tobacco combined with asbestos exposure greatly increases the chance of developing lung cancer.
is a rare cancer of the membrane that covers the lungs and chest cavity (pleura), the membrane lining the abdominal cavity (peritoneum), or membranes surrounding other internal organs. Signs of mesothelioma may not appear until 30 to 40 years after exposure to asbestos.
