Health Effects of Asbestos Siding
According to the Minnesota Department of Health, producers of roofing and siding products added asbestos for strength. This practice started phasing out in the early 1980s when health risks associated with the material started coming to light. Made up of long, fine fibers, asbestos often becomes part of insulation and fireproofing products. Small asbestos fibers become a health hazard when inhaled and may result in life-threatening diseases. Often these diseases take many years to emerge.-
Lung Cancer
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The Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that the risk of asbestos-related lung cancer increases with the number of fibers inhaled. The disease may take as long as 50 years to appear after exposure. Smokers have an increased risk of developing asbestos-related lung cancer. Symptoms include chest pains, fatigue, cough, shortness of breath and weight loss. As the disease progresses, patients may also experience symptoms such as coughing up blood, bronchitis and pneumonia. Lung cancer usually results in death.
Mesothelioma
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Mesothelioma usually develops because of asbestos exposure. Malignancies develop in the patient's mesothelium, a lining that covers and protects most internal organs. Mesothelioma begins in these membranes in the lungs, chest and abdominal cavities. The disease usually results in death. Initially, symptoms may look similar to other disorders, such as colds, pneumonia or asthma. Patients may experience chest pain, pain while breathing, unexplained weight loss and abdominal swelling.
Asbestosis
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A chronic inflammatory disease, asbestosis affects the parenchymal tissues in the patient's lungs. It causes scar tissue to build in the lungs. The National Cancer Institute describes asbestosis as an inflammatory lung disease resulting in shortness of breath accompanied by chronic coughing ending in permanent lung damage. Patients experience impaired heart and lung function. They are also chronically deprived of adequate oxygen and live with an increased risk of developing other asbestos-related illnesses. Asbestosis may take up to 30 years to manifest, and the patient must have had a long period of significant asbestos exposure. The condition may result in death.
Pleural Plaques
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The pleura is the membrane in the chest where the lungs reside in the body. Asbestos exposure can cause the pleura to become thick, which impairs lung function. When pleural plaques develop, a gel-like substance may form. This accumulation of thick fluid between the tissue layers lining the lungs further impedes lung function. The immune system's reaction to asbestos fibers attaching to the membranes could cause the disease. It may take up to 15 years after exposure to asbestos for this disease to appear.
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