The Publishers League

photo credit: U.S. Army Environmental Command

Asbestos poisoning occurs when a person accidentally inhaled or ingested particles of this highly toxic material. These fibers are mostly microscopically small. Once the substance found its way into a person’s system, it can have a devastating effect on his health and may ultimately lead to one’s death. Most of the time, people are completely unaware if they exposed themselves to asbestos. They don’t notice that the air they were breathing in might have been asbestos-laden. Further to that, signs of asbestos poisoning do typically not occur instantly, which is normally the case when a person gets into contact with other toxic substances.

Asbestos particles and fibers are mostly lingering in invisible clouds of dust within the air. So practically impossible to get notice of them unless you have testing done by someone who with the adequate gear, typically an asbestos testing company. The actual medical condition of asbestos poisoning is defined by the body’s incapability to expel the toxic substance naturally. Asbestos poisoning symptoms are signs of a person being or getting diagnoses with diseases like Asbestosis, Lung Cancer or Mesothelioma. Asbestosis is a disease that basically hinders the lungs from performing normally. The toxic particles of the material attach themselves to the lung tissue which hardens gradually. The lungs become inflexible and therefore they can’t absorb the normal amount of oxygen. As the disease keeps progressing the capacity of the lungs diminishes accordingly. Mesothelioma is different. It is a cancer that starts developing in the so called mesothelium which is a very thin lining that surrounds the inside of the chest and numerous other organs of the abdomen. Mesothelioma is treatable; however, it carries a rather poor prognosis. It is also the most common form of asbestos induced diseases.

Very similar to Mesothelioma is Lung Cancer. All three of the aforementioned medical conditions have an unusually long latency period. Between the time a person initially was exposed to asbestos and the first sings of asbestos poisoning manifest, two, three or even four decades might have possibly passed. This is why we often hear of retirees filing asbestos lawsuits claims. It might have been in there late twenties when they have been in contact with the material while working on their jobs, for example in the asbestos manufacturing industry or on construction sites – and only now and decades later, they developed an asbestos induced illness. Also, the symptoms of asbestos poisoning can be similar to those of other medical conditions such as COPD, for example.
And apparently, this makes the diagnosis of either of the diseases we just talked about very tricky. It is not uncommon, that someone has already developed a severe problem with his health before the first signs of asbestos poisoning surfaced.