Asbestos can remain in the lungs for many years, causing a range of diseases and breathing problems, according to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. Once common in many industries, asbestos is a mineral made of small fibers that can be inhaled. People who have a long-term history of exposure, such as those who worked in jobs that required frequent contact with airborne asbestos, are most at risk.
Pleural Abnormalities
Asbestos can cause the membrane, or pleura, lining the lungs and the muscle below the lungs, to thicken and harden, according to the NHLBI. Pleural plaque rarely affects breathing or causes other symptoms. But on occasion, as the pleura thickens, it can squeeze part of the lung and that can look like a mass on an x-ray. More seriously, asbestos can sometimes cause fluid to collect between the lungs and the chest wall, a condition called pleural effusion. Pleural effusion can cause chest pain and can make it hard to breathe. Pleural plaques and effusions can be early warning signs of asbestos-related lung diseases to come. Pleural abnormalities often develop earlier than other lung conditions caused by asbestos, which can take 10 to 40 years to develop.
Asbestosis
When asbestos causes the lung tissue to scar, the condition is called asbestosis. Asbestosis is a chronic disease that can progressively make it more difficult to breathe and may end in disability and death. People with asbestosis also face a higher risk of developing lung cancer. Asbestosis causes shortness of breath, particularly when a person exerts himself. It can also cause fatigue and cough. There is no cure for asbestosis but oxygen therapy may make it easier to breathe.
Cancer
Asbestos exposure can cause lung cancer as well as a rare cancer of the pleura known as mesothelioma, according to the NHLBI. Lung cancer symptoms include a worsening or persistent cough, breathing difficulties, chest pain, coughing up blood, lung infections, tiredness and weight loss. Mesothelioma can cause breathing problems and chest pain. Both cancers are treatable with surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy or a combination of treatments.
