The Fatal Effects of Asbestos Exposure

The link between exposure to asbestos and the disease has been proven scientifically.
But while many of us know that the inhalation of asbestos fibers may be hazardous to our health, which often do not know is how far reaching the impact of asbestos can be. The material, it can cause a variety of diseases, some of them catastrophic.
This includes mesothelioma, an aggressive cancer of the protective mucus that covers many of the organs of the body.
Although mesothelioma lawyers have won many significant verdicts and settlements for victims of asbestos exposure, not all of his work has been on behalf of victims of mesothelioma. Other cancers and severe conditions, not life-threatening cancer have been caused by the inhalation of asbestos and the victims have needed assistance and compensation.

Here's a look at different and very common - asbestos-related diseases:
• Mesothelioma. Almost always the result of exposure to asbestos, mesothelioma can take decades to develop, but once detected, the disease has a poor prognosis. In fact, most mesothelioma patients succumb within a year of diagnosis. And unlike the mesothelioma lawyers who have seen success in the courtroom, mesothelioma researchers still struggle to understand and combat the deadly disease. There is currently no known cure, and even the most sophisticated treatments often add a few months into the life of a patient with mesothelioma.
• Lung cancer. While other factors such as smoking, can also trigger lung cancer, exposure to asbestos is a primary cause of the deadly disease. Epidemiological studies of the deaths of asbestos workers have demonstrated a particularly high rate of lung cancer, higher than that observed in populations not exposed to asbestos. While the British government reported that there is a death from lung cancer related to asbestos for every death from mesothelioma, many experts say there are many more cases of lung cancer from exposure to asbestos. Smoking, when combined with exposure to asbestos, can put a person at greater risk of contracting lung cancer.
• Other types of cancer. Evidence has shown that asbestos can cause cancer of the larynx, as well, and can even cause cancer of the colon, rectum and ovary.
• The asbestosis. Severe respiratory disease, asbestosis is caused by inhaling asbestos fibers and dust, and can cause great damage to the lungs of the victim. Over time, the injury, including scarring of the lungs, can make it harder for the lungs to get oxygen in the blood. As a result, victims experience severe shortness of breath. They often suffer from heart disease, too, because the heart has to work harder to overcome the inefficiency of the lungs. Such as mesothelioma, asbestosis has no known cure, and victims are often forced to use supplemental oxygen, greatly limiting their quality of life.
• pleural thickening. In some individuals, the lining of the lungs called the pleura, may harden in response to exposure to asbestos. This can occur in one or both lungs, and, like asbestosis, which can severely restrict breathing. In rare cases, but not extreme, the disease can be life threatening.
• Pleural plaques. Although it often causes no symptoms, these small areas of thickening or scarring of the lung are often a precursor to other asbestos related diseases. They can be very painful, too, once when the plates are hardened.
• asbestos warts. These callus-like growths occur when asbestos fibers become lodged in the skin of an individual. Like pleural plaques, which are a worrying sign that someone has been exposed to asbestos and may be at risk of developing serious diseases. Although benign, asbestos warts can be a worrying sign of the devastation that lies ahead.
* This article was brought to you by mesothelioma lawyers Cooney and Conway. For over half a century, we have defenders injured by illegal actions of others. We have litigated and resolved some of the demands of the nation's most significant asbestos, so that justice and financial compensation to victims of asbestos exposure and lung cancer, mesothelioma and other deadly diseases they cause.