It might sound bad but it is a reality that you can suffer serious health problems when you have been exposed to asbestos. Statistics showed that 39,000 lives are lost each year in the United States alone due to the diseases caused by asbestos, thus making this a common concern.
Here we will briefly summarize the different health risks you could possibly have when you are exposed to asbestos, and hopefully you would know what to do to take care of your health.
A rare form of lung cancer is your first health risk called mesothelioma. The membrane covering of your lungs and chest cavity could have this occurrence plus could continue its presence in the lining of your other internal organs and in the membrane too of your abdominal cavity.
The most common result is lung cancer, considered as the most common and is second to mention as your health risk when being exposed to asbestos. The risk of lung cancer is greater when you are exposed to any construction work or being exposed to asbestos products that are deteriorating.
Know that dangerous fibers are coming in when you breathe asbestos, and these fibers would cause scarring on your lungs leading to the next health risk called asbestosis. As the lungs are scarred, it will be harder for oxygen and carbon dioxide to pass through the lungs thus harder for the person to breathe. Note that if you are working much of your life in a construction environment or in demolition, this disease is a very common one.
The next health risk is not cancerous but can change the membrane surrounding the lungs and chest cavity and this is called the pleural disease. There is a thickening of membrane and fluid buildup if you have this disease, which in serious cases will lead to a lower lung capacity and will not allow you to perform physical activities.
Another health risk when being exposed to asbestos could be on immune changes, although these kinds of changes are still not clearly known. Researches have shown that there is a lower immune function when one is exposed to asbestos. These signs of lower immune function is clearly observed especially if the person does not project any other disease.
It is advisable then that you do not ignore these mentioned health risks when you are exposed to asbestos. Be aware that it takes years of exposure to asbestos before you see these signs of the diseases, and thus it is not just enough to know these health risks. If you can, do whatever it takes so that your exposure will reduce and have lesser chances of getting sick in the later years, and do not wait too long to contact someone to fix your health concern.