Asbestos Disease: Types and Symptoms

Asbestos disease is related-lung disease which is caused by the exposure to asbestos fibers. Asbestos itself is a family of silica compounds, which is similar to silica found in computer chips or window glass, that the shapes and sizes are various. The substance form fibers comes in three common types, chrysotile or the white asbestos; amosite the brown asbestos; and crocidolite or the blue asbestos.

Types of Asbestos Disease

These three types are associated with non-cancerous and cancerous lung disease. You can find this material everywhere, furnaces, pipes, millboard, roof shingles, coating materials, textured paints, and also floor tiles. When you are continuously being exposure by this material, you have a wide chance to get lung disease. There are three types of lung disease caused by asbestos:
- Asbestosis, which is the process of scarring of the lungs
- Disease of pleura, the lining of the lungs. This disease has various symptoms and signs. The result of this disease are thickening and inflammation of the pleura
- Lung cancer

This disease reaches its high rates in the middle of 20th century, when there are patients who developed this disease after in decades are being exposed with asbestos. If your house uses this material, then be careful. For those who are working in construction, boiler making, automotive repair, pipefitting, and also launderers, you may have wide chance to get asbestos disease.

Its Symptoms and Signs
The clinical symptoms that people experience is slowly progressing cough and shortness of breath. This happens for those who are being exposed by asbestos for 20 to 40 years. For workers who are being exposed to very high concentrations, they may experience the disease after 10 years of working. Other indications for the disease are the abnormal lung sounds when in examination; the changes on the ends of toes and fingers; a blue tinge to the lips or fingers; and the failure of the right side of heart.

There are some tests to follow when you have some indications above. Lung function tests are conducted for those who experience breathing abnormalities. Asbestosis can cause the restriction of lung inflation and the obstruction of airflow. It, then, can affect to the ability of the lung and heart to transfer oxygen to blood. CT scans and chest X-rays can also be conducted to know the cancer and lung disease that you experience. Examinations then are done, vaccinations and treatment to its infections are conducted to cure the asbestos disease.

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