Asbestos Symptoms

Symptoms of Asbestos

Asbestos symptoms are indicators of the serious adverse health problems that are caused by dangerous levels of asbestos exposure. Over one million people are exposed to the dangerous of asbestos exposure every year in the work place and should be aware of asbestos symptoms that may indicate serious underlying health problems.

Different types of asbestos fibers may be associated with different health risks. For example, results of several studies suggest that amphibole forms of asbestos are more likely than chrysotile to cause lung cancer, asbestosis, and, in particular, mesothelioma. Even so, no fiber type can be considered harmless, and proper safety precautions should always be taken by people working with asbestos.

When exposed to asbestos, individuals either inhale or ingest the asbestos fibers. Natural destination of these fibers after inhalation is lungs while the ingested asbestos fibers take the route of digestive system. Therefore, asbestos symptoms start appearing in either lungs or digestive system. However, in some cases asbestos symptoms may appear in other organs also.

If you or someone you know came into contact with asbestos when it was removed, cut or mixed, it is possible that some damage may have been sustained to the lungs even though you do not necessarily feel that you have any asbestos symptoms. It is important that a chest x-ray is be obtained.

Early asbestos symptoms can include changes in the lining of the lungs (pleura) such as thickening, the presence of plaques, calcification in the lining of the lungs, and fluid around the lungs (pleural effusion). Pleural effusion can also be an early warning sign for mesothelioma (cancer of the lining of the lungs).

The another  asbestos symptoms are persistent cough that gets worse over time, blood in the sputum you cough up from your lungs, wheezing, shortness of breath, chest pain, difficulty in swallowing or prolonged hoarseness,  and significant weight loss, fatigue or anemia.

Unfortunately, the detectable asbestos symptoms can appear as early as 15 years after exposure, and the reappear at any time during one’s life. This makes it very difficult to associate one with the other and is why annual or even semi-annual asbestos detection tests are recommended.

If you think you’ve been exposed to asbestos and are experiencing any of these asbestos symptoms alone or in combination, contact your doctor or a specialist in occupational medicine. The specialist will want to know what kind of jobs you’ve worked on in the past and for how long. They may want to do tests to see if any problems are developing or already exist.

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