It has become popular to attribute many forms of cancer to asbestos exposure, but this is problematic for a couple of reasons. The main illnesses caused by asbestos—asbestosis and mesothelioma—have a 20 to 50 year latency period from the time asbestos fibers were first ingested, so linking the illness to its cause definitively can be an elusive task. An equally frustrating aspect of asbestos poisoning is that its symptoms can overlap with other circulatory and respiratory diseases.
Asbestos materials are made up of short but coarse fibers that can be easily inhaled in uncontrolled conditions, since they’re often indistinguishable from dust particles, given their size. While asbestos fibers are relatively harmless when first ingested, they tend to lodge themselves more or less permanently in the lining of one of more internal organs, creating an extremely gradual inflammation that accounts for the latency period. Symptoms of asbestos poisoning usually non-existent for decades, and by the time they’re diagnosed, the illness has probably reached an advanced or metastatic stage.
Symptoms of asbestosis include shallow breathing, wheezing, chest pains, chronic fatigue, hacking cough, and occasionally respiratory failure. If the victims lung capacity has been severely reduced, he or she may not have an adequate oxygen supply to the capillaries, resulting in clubbed fingers.
Mesothelioma manifests some or all of the aforementioned symptoms, plus others depending on the site of the disease. Pleural mesothelioma involves an accumulation of fluid inside the lining of the chest cavity (the pleura), so frequent chest pains and respiratory problems are the red flag. Peritoneal mesothelioma involves a buildup of fluid between the lining of the stomach wall and the lining of the lungs (the peritoneum). In addition to respiratory problems, the patient may experience frequent vomiting, stomach pains, nausea, rapid weight loss, fever, loss of appetite (often leading to anemia) and blood clotting of the legs (thrombosis).
If an asbestos related disease is suspected, it’s critical to get a diagnosis from a specialist, especially if litigation is being considered. Many asbestos settlements and lawsuits have been scraped because the victim’s condition could not be sufficiently distinguished from cancers with similar symptoms. If it’s discovered in court that the plaintiff has a history of cigarette smoking, the defendant’s lawyer will often attempt to attribute the symptoms to lung cancer. An accurate diagnosis is also vital from a health perspective. Some symptoms, like shortness of breath, might seem like a rather benign lack of fitness. If asbestos symptoms are diagnosed early enough, the patient has many more treatment options available.