Asbestos exposure doesn’t cause immediate symptoms. Signs of exposure often appear years later. They may point to early asbestos-related conditions like asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma. It's crucial to spot these early signs. They can help you seek timely medical care and improve long-term health.
Early signs of asbestos exposure include shortness of breath, a constant cough and chest pain. These signs are often mistaken for common respiratory issues, delaying diagnosis. Watch for early asbestos exposure signs, which can take decades to develop, if you’ve handled asbestos. Monitoring for early signs can mean diagnosing asbestos-related diseases such as mesothelioma sooner.
Most Common Symptoms
Chest pain or tightness
Crackling sound in the lungs during breathing
Persistent cough
Respiratory complications
Shortness of breath
These early symptoms overlap with other more common health issues like flu or pneumonia. But if you experienced prolonged asbestos exposure, it could lead to serious conditions like pleural mesothelioma or lung cancer. Speaking to your doctor as soon as possible about a history of working in high-risk areas or occupations can also allow your doctor to arrange regular screenings for you for asbestos-related cancers.
What Are the Symptoms of Asbestos-Related Conditions?
Symptoms vary depending on the asbestos-related disease. Asbestos exposure most often causes conditions that affect the respiratory system. Some fibers travel through the bloodstream, where they may damage other parts of the body.
Symptoms by Type of Disease
Asbestosis symptoms: Persistent dry cough, reduced lung function and tightness in the chest
Lung cancer symptoms: Coughing up blood, respiratory complications and weight loss
Mesothelioma symptoms: Abdominal swelling, chest pain, fatigue, shortness of breath and weight loss
Symptoms often overlap with those of other diseases, contributing to misdiagnosis. For example, pleural mesothelioma symptoms can resemble COPD. Peritoneal mesothelioma shares symptoms like fluid buildup, called ascites, and belly pain with conditions like pancreatitis. These overlaps can delay proper diagnosis, while early detection improves outcomes.
Peritoneal mesothelioma survivor Epifanio Figueroa tells us that his first symptom was abdominal swelling. The swelling led him to a hospital visit where he says, “They told us they weren’t sure.” At a second hospital, a biopsy confirmed his asbestos-related disease in 2016. Epifanio shares that at the time of his diagnosis, “I didn’t know that mesothelioma existed.”
How Asbestos Exposure Affects the Body
Asbestos fibers can remain in the body for decades, causing chronic inflammation. Inhaled fibers lodge in the tissue that lines the lungs (pleura), where they can cause damage over time. The long latency period of 20 to 60 years means symptoms may not appear until the disease advances.
Effects of Asbestos Exposure
Long-term damage to respiratory function
Scarring of lung tissue (asbestosis)
Tumors in the pleura (mesothelioma)
Inhaling asbestos fibers is the primary cause of mesothelioma. Ingesting asbestos may cause peritoneal mesothelioma. Asbestos can also cause diseases in other body parts. Signs of these conditions primarily arise in the throat, stomach, colon or pelvic region.
Carla Fasolo
Verified Asbestos.com Survivor
Symptoms Started Decades After Asbestos Exposure
“It started with me going down to the Oneida County Courthouse in Utica, New York, with my dad,” she told The Mesothelioma Center. “I would go down there with him, and it was very dusty in the boiler room. There would be chunks of gray, fibrous stuff down there. I didn’t know what it was, but I’d pick it up and play with it.”
The latency period for asbestos-related diseases like mesothelioma can range from 20 to 60 years. This means symptoms may not appear until decades after initial exposure.
The delay can make it hard initially for people to associate their current health issues to their past asbestos exposure. Health care providers might not ask about asbestos exposure that happened long ago. This can contribute to misdiagnosis.
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If you have a history of asbestos exposure and start showing any signs or symptoms, it’s important to see a doctor right away. Don’t wait, even if your symptoms don’t seem severe. Consulting a doctor early can lead to better treatment options and improve your chances of a positive outcome.
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| Karen Selby, RN: What to Do if You Think You’ve Been Exposed to Asbestos
If a person thinks that they might have had a job or was exposed to asbestos at some time in their life, it would be important to get some diagnostic testing, have a conversation with your doctor. There’s some simple diagnostic testing that can be done to see if they are at risk for developing mesothelioma in the future. Very cost effective testing can be done to put your mind at ease, and help put you in a direction to see whether or not you need to go further into testing.
Diagnostic Testing & Screening
Doctors use several tests to look for diseases linked to asbestos exposure. These tests are usually done when someone reports symptoms that could be related to asbestos.
Standard Diagnostic Tools
Chest X-rays: Help identify scarring or other problems in the lungs.
Pulmonary function tests: Show how well your lungs are working.
Spirometry: Measures lung function by testing airflow in and out of the lungs.
Routine screening can play a key role in finding asbestos-related illnesses early. This is especially important for people with a strong history of asbestos exposure.
Some tests can find asbestos fibers in lung tissue, lung fluid, stool, mucus or urine. However, no current test can detect asbestos fibers in the blood. These tools help monitor lung health and identify problems before they become serious.
Common Questions About Signs & Symptoms of Asbestos Exposure
What are the risks of developing an asbestos-related disease?
Prolonged or repeated asbestos exposure increases the likelihood of developing asbestos-related diseases. Those who work in construction, shipbuilding or manufacturing are at the highest risk. This is especially true if they were exposed before safety regulations.
Can asbestos exposure ever cause immediate symptoms?
In most cases, asbestos exposure doesn’t cause immediate symptoms. Instead, diseases linked to asbestos develop over time, with symptoms appearing decades later. But exposure to high levels of asbestos fibers can irritate the lungs. It can cause temporary symptoms like coughing and difficulty breathing.
Can tests detect asbestos-related diseases before symptoms appear?
Tests, like low-dose CT scans, can find early signs of asbestos diseases in exposed people. These tests can’t confirm asbestos fibers. They can find lung or pleura issues. These may suggest an asbestos-related condition.
Are certain age groups more vulnerable to asbestos exposure symptoms?
Asbestos-related diseases usually affect older people. There is a long gap between exposure and symptoms. But those exposed to asbestos at a young age may face severe health issues later in life. Asbestos fibers may harm developing lungs. This raises the risk of mesothelioma and lung cancer in adults.
Who is at higher risk of health problems from asbestos exposure?
Most sick people worked with asbestos for most of their careers. Illness risk rises with longer asbestos exposure and higher fiber levels. Smoking and asbestos exposure together greatly raise lung cancer risk, but not mesothelioma.
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Dr. Andrea Wolf is the Director of the New York Mesothelioma Program at Mount Sinai in New York City. She focuses on multidisciplinary treatment, clinical research, community outreach and education.
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