The Latest on Asbestos Exposure and Lung Disease

A recent study which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine highlights the dangers of indirect asbestos exposure.

Researchers followed an 80-year-old woman who had been admitted to the hospital for an acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and underwent chest radiography. Initial findings were notable for pleural plaques.

The patient had a 40-pack-a-year smoking history and secondhand childhood exposure to asbestos. She said that as children, she and her two sisters would play with their father — who installed thermal insulation — after he returned home from work with his clothing covered in “snow-like” particles.

On lung auscultation, scattered crackles without wheezing were noted. As compared with a chest, a diagnosis of pleural plaques from secondhand asbestos exposure was made.

Asbestos Exposure

Many people believe asbestos poisoning illnesses, like the ones discussed below, only affect certain workers. That belief is dangerously misguided, as direct occupational victims may only be the tip of the iceberg.

Due to decades of undercounting and a new generation of victims, ambient exposure victims may be the most common asbestos exposure victims. Usually, these individuals are completely blindsided by a devastating medical diagnosis when they are making plans for their remaining years. So, an asbestos disease is emotionally devastating, as well as physically devastating.

For much of the twentieth century, take-home asbestos victims were the most common ambient (environmental) exposure victims.

Most of these victims were in the same boat as the woman in the above study. They lived with asbestos workers who unintentionally carried asbestos fibers home on their clothes, in their hair, or inside their vehicles. These unwitting victims then inhaled these fibers.

On a related note, many asbestos poisoning victims lived near asbestos hotspots, such as open-air mines, and the fibers floated to their homes and businesses. An asbestos exposure lawyer can obtain compensation for these victims.

The government outlaws asbestos mining in 2022 and asbestos use in 2024. But for the next generation of asbestos exposure victims, these moves are too little, too late.

Almost every residential and commercial structure built before 1980 contains asbestos, not only in attic insulation but also in:

• Floor tiles,
• Drywall,
• Plumbing insulation,
• Roof tiles,
• Electrical wire wrapping, and
• Concrete.

The extensive use created a new generation of environmental exposure victims, mostly due to disasters like 9/11. The World Trade Center towers contained thousands of pounds of asbestos when they collapsed on September 11. This toxic cloud floated over much of the Northeast.

Furthermore, the mining ban did not stop cross-contamination. Talc and asbestos are geologically similar. Therefore, talc is often laced with asbestos, and vice versa. Because of poor quality control practices, the asbestos-laced talc wound up in consumer products, such as Johnson & Johnson talcum powder.

The pharmaceutical giant has already committed billions of dollars to settle what most observers believe is the first round of litigation.

Lung Diseases

The most common asbestos-exposure illnesses are lung diseases, mostly asbestosis, mesothelioma, and pleural thickening.

Asbestosis is the first lung disease that researchers conclusively linked to asbestos exposure. Toxic particles, like asbestos dust or fibers, burn the insides of breathing passages inside the lungs. The resulting scar tissue blocks these narrow airways, most of which are about the width of the tip of a pencil.

Like other asbestos-exposure illnesses, asbestosis has a very long latency period. So, by the time doctors diagnose the issue, limited treatments are available because the disease is so advanced.

Mesothelioma is a rare and aggressive form of lung cancer. Toxic asbestos particles alter cell DNA, causing tumors to form in the mesothelium (area between the heart and lung). The tumor often grows undetected for several decades. By the time initial lung cancer symptoms appear, such as trouble breathing and dry coughing, the cancer has probably spread to the lung itself. Once cancer starts spreading, it’s almost impossible to stop.

As the above study mentioned, another factor, like cigarette smoking, may contribute to a disease like mesothelioma. But asbestos exposure substantially caused it.

Pleural thickening inflames the membranes that surround the lung. In many cases, the thickening almost literally crushes the victim’s lungs. This disease feels as painful as it sounds.

Reach Out to a Tough-Minded Asbestos Exposure Lawyer

Mesothelioma victims need and deserve significant compensation. For a confidential consultation with an experienced nationwide mesothelioma lawyer, contact the Throneberry Law Group. Virtual, home, and hospital visits are available.

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