The Background on Asbestosis
Asbestosis is a serious lung disease caused when asbestos fibers are inhaled and become lodged in the inner layers of the lungs. Asbestosis is not a type of cancer, and it is different from malignant mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a type of cancer. When mesothelioma appears in the lungs, it is called pleural mesothelioma. Some patients do acquire asbestosis and then develop pleural mesothelioma.
Asbestosis develops over time as the asbestos fibers cause an injury in the lungs and fibrosis or scar tissue. Asbestosis is diagnosed when the scar tissue is large enough to be seen on an x-ray. As the scar tissue grows, the lungs become increasingly dysfunctional and breathing becomes labored. Asbestosis can lead to disability and death.
Asbestos In The Lungs
Air comes in direct contact with blood cells through the lungs. In order to ensure an efficient transfer of oxygen from the air into the blood, the innermost layers of the lungs must be kept highly sterile. The sterilization of air occurs through complex filtration systems, starting with the nose and the other air passages leading into the lungs. Asbestos is hazardous because its particles are able to bypass the lungs filtration systems and become imbedded in the innermost layers of the lungs.
Asbestos particles are long, very thin, microscopic fibers. When asbestos is in the air, these particles are inhaled by those in close proximity. These fibers are so thin and light, they cannot be properly filtered by the lungs. The asbestos becomes embedded in the innermost layer of the lungs where oxygen transfer to the blood takes place.
Asbestos and the Immune System
Once embedded, the asbestos particles are attacked by the our immune system. The immune system releases digestive molecules called macrophages that target and attack foreign objects in the body. Unfortunately, because asbestos is a hard, fibrous mineral, the macrophages are unable to eliminate them from the lungs. As the macrophages attempt to attack the asbestos, they create scar tissue around where the asbestos lays. Since the macrophages are unable to remove the asbestos, the natural response of the body is to send more macrophages, creating more scar tissue. A chain reaction occurs that cannot be stopped. In reality, people exposed to asbestos inhale hundreds and thousands of asbestos fibers, which means that hundreds and thousands of chain reactions are happening in the lungs, all creating scar tissue.
Many victims of asbestosis begin experience mesothelioma symptoms, leading to one of the rarest forms of cancer. Caused only by exposure to asbestos, a mesothelioma diagnosis is typically fatal as there is no known mesothelioma treatment available which can completely cure a victim. Most mesothelioma victims pass away within two years of diagnosis.
For more on mesothelioma information click here.