Asbestos exposure is a danger to human health that can lead to serious diseases including asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma cancer. Exposure is most common in the workplace, but it can happen at home, in a public building or in the military.
Asbestos is a mineral that was used in thousands of domestic, commercial and industrial products.
Occupational exposure is the No. 1 cause of asbestos disease. Occupations in manual labor and skilled trades presented the highest risk of asbestos exposure. Workers in construction, shipyards and factories faced a high likelihood of exposure on the job.
U.S. military veterans were among the most vulnerable of all because of the military’s past reliance on asbestos products, especially on Navy ships.
How Does Exposure Happen?
Asbestos exposure happens when microscopic asbestos fibers become airborne. The fibers are inhaled or ingested by anyone within the vicinity. Fibers can remain airborne for hours, placing anyone nearby in danger.
The body can get rid of some fibers. Unfortunately, many fibers become stuck in tissue such as the lungs.
No level of asbestos exposure is considered safe. But, most problems arise after years of repeated and long-term exposures to the carcinogen.
The fibers accumulate in human tissue through repeat exposure and cause inflammation and damage. Over time, this damage causes cellular changes that lead to cancer and other diseases. The combination of smoking and asbestos exposure multiplies the hazard, creating a greater risk to health.
Most people are exposed through their occupation. Home and commercial renovation or remodeling is also hazardous because many common building materials already contain asbestos. When asbestos products start to deteriorate or are cut, sanded, drilled or disturbed in any way, microscopic fibers enter the air.
Environmental and secondary exposure to asbestos is rarer, but it still happens regularly. Most everyone in their lifetime has inhaled some quantity of asbestos, but these trace amounts rarely cause health problems.
Asbestos-related disease is 100 percent preventable. That fact motivates me. It should motivate all of us. If we stopped using asbestos, by definition, we could stop asbestos disease.”
– Dr. Ken Takahashi, director of the Asbestos Diseases Research Institute
Health Risks of Exposure
Find a Top Mesothelioma Specialist
Our Patient Advocates can help you find a top mesothelioma doctor or cancer center near you.
Once inhaled or swallowed, the fibers can become trapped in the respiratory or digestive tract. The body can get rid of some asbestos fibers, but many fibers become stuck. The stuck fibers slowly cause inflammation and DNA damage that leads to disease decades later.
Mesothelioma: This is a rare and incurable cancer that develops in the lining of the lungs or abdomen.
Lung Cancer: Asbestos-related lung cancer accounts for approximately 4 percent of all lung cancer cases.
Ovarian Cancer: The International Agency for Research on Cancer confirmed that asbestos causes ovarian cancer in 2012.
Laryngeal Cancer: In 2006, the National Institutes of Health confirmed that asbestos causes laryngeal cancer.
The noncancerous conditions caused by asbestos include:
Asbestosis: Asbestosis involves inflammation and scarring of the lung tissue. It prevents the lungs from expanding and relaxing normally.
Pleural plaques: These are the most common sign of asbestos exposure. They involve fibrous thickening of the lining around the lungs.
Pleural Effusion: A buildup of fluid around the lungs that causes difficulty breathing.
Diffuse Pleural Thickening: Extensive scarring thickens the pleural lining of the lungs. It causes chest pain and breathing issues.
Pleuritis: Severe inflammation of the pleural lining, also known as pleuritic pain.
Atelactasis: Inflammation and scarring cause the pleural lining to fold in on itself, causing the lungs to underinflate.
Asbestos exposure and the body.
It takes around 10-50 years after the initial exposure for asbestos-related diseases to develop. Asbestosis can develop in as few as 10 years. Related cancers take 20-50 years to develop.
Incidence rates of these diseases have remained steady for decades, despite regulations on asbestos being implemented in the 1970s.
The National Cancer Institute says 2,000 to 3,000 Americans are diagnosed each year with mesothelioma.
An estimated 200,000 people in the country are diagnosed with asbestosis annually, according to American Family Physician.
An estimated 12,000 to 15,000 Americans die annually from an asbestos-related disease, according to the EWG Action Fund.
Exposed to Asbestos? Get Our Mesothelioma Guide
Detailed information on mesothelioma, books, support wristbands and more for patients & caregivers.
Work in certain occupations, including the U.S. military
Experience manmade or natural disasters
Military
Every branch of the U.S. armed forces used asbestos. People on U.S. Navy ships and operators of military vehicles and aircraft from the early 1900s to the 1970s were most at risk. Thousands of veterans who worked on the following vessels got sick because of asbestos they encountered during their service.
Thousands of products were manufactured by companies using asbestos fibers. Asbestos may be found in insulation, drywall, ceiling and floor tiles, cements, paint and more. Most homes and commercial buildings built before 1980 contain asbestos products.
Workers from all trades were likely exposed to asbestos fibers while on the job. Drywall tapers, electricians, firefighters, auto mechanics and many other occupations remain at risk. Asbestos regulation was more relaxed in the past. Today, the law requires all employers to protect workers from asbestos and other job-related health risks.
The terrorist attack at the World Trade Center in New York City on September 11, 2001, released tons of asbestos insulation into the air. This caused a sudden and very serious exposure problem for rescue, recovery and cleanup workers who remained at the site for months.
In 2006, a study was published in Environmental Health Perspectives. that followed those workers. About 70 percent of them suffered new or worsened respiratory problems. About 28 percent of workers had abnormal lung function tests. Researchers continue to closely follow those who worked in the rubble. They also follow nearby residents for long-term health consequences.
Environmental Exposure
Environmental exposure occurs when asbestos fibers are released into the air through:
In 2016, the Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health published a study that showed occupational exposure to asbestos has declined in recent years. But, there has been a rise in environmental exposure in specific geographic areas.
The study also used the findings to explain why the percentage of women and younger patients with asbestos disease has been rising.
Researchers at the University of Hawaii Cancer Center conducted a similar study in 2015. It highlighted the need to be more aware of environmental exposure in Nevada.
Northern California is also home to some of the largest naturally occurring deposits of asbestos.
Risks from Nearby Asbestos Operations
Job sites that use asbestos often contaminate the outside air with airborne fibers. People in nearby communities face environmental exposure that puts them at risk of related diseases.
A 2009 study published in the journal Atmospheric Pollution Research tested the effects of environmental exposure in a population living near an asbestos manufacturing plant. The study examined rates of pleural mesothelioma and other asbestos-related conditions in Shubra El-Kheima, Egypt, an industrial city containing the Sigwart Company asbestos plant. It compared disease rates in individuals working in the plant, those living near the plant and those in a control group with no known asbestos exposure. In total, the study had more than 4,000 participants.
Pleural mesothelioma was highest (2.8 percent) in the group with environmental asbestos exposure. The group with occupational exposure had a strikingly lower rate of only 0.8 percent. As expected, the control group had the fewest incidences, with a rate of 0.1 percent.
These rates varied for other illnesses such as diffuse pleural thickening. Overall, the study found a slightly higher, but still comparable, rate of asbestos-related illnesses in asbestos workers than in nearby residents.
Improper Asbestos Removal
There is a high risk of exposure to airborne fibers if proper abatement procedures are not followed. It is important to adhere to federal safety regulations regarding the removal and disposal of asbestos-containing materials to minimize health risks.
Secondary Asbestos Exposure
People can get an asbestos-related disease without ever working with or around the toxic mineral. Secondary exposure, or indirect exposure, can be just as dangerous as firsthand exposure.
This kind of exposure happens when an asbestos worker unknowingly brings asbestos fibers home on their work clothes, hair and skin.
Throughout the 20th century, men were more likely to work directly with asbestos products performing labor jobs. Secondary exposure was more likely to affect women and children in the homes of these asbestos workers. Women who laundered their husband’s contaminated work clothes were the most at risk of secondary exposure.
Protecting Yourself and Loved Ones
People can protect themselves by being vigilant.
Workers should use protective equipment provided by employers. It is important to follow proper safety procedures and workplace practices. Approved respirators should be worn when working around asbestos fibers.
It also is important to take precautions against bringing home asbestos from work. Any clothing or shoes worn on the job should be left and cleaned at the job site. Showers should be taken before returning home to avoid endangering family members.
Safety equipment and good practices today protect you against future asbestos problems.
If you think your work conditions are unsafe or your employer isn’t adequately protecting you from asbestos, file an anonymous complaint with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
Joining the team in February 2008 as a writer and editor, Michelle Whitmer has translated medical jargon into patient-friendly information at Asbestos.com for more than eight years. Michelle is a registered yoga teacher, a member of the Academy of Integrative Health & Medicine, and was quoted by The New York Times on the risks of asbestos exposure. Read More
Herbert, R. et al. (2006, December). The World Trade Center Disaster and the Health of Workers: Five-Year Assessment of a Unique Medical Screening Program. : Retrieved from:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1764159/
Villeneuve, P.J. et al. (2012, December 13). Occupational exposure to asbestos and lung cancer in men: evidence from a population-based case-control study in eight Canadian provinces. : Retrieved from:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23234401
