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Asbestos Symptoms: Late Indicators

by: Kirsten Hawkins

Asbestos symptoms refer to the changes in the body that indicate some type of serious diseases caused by exposure to asbestos particles.

Awareness about asbestos symptoms is important because danger of asbestos exposure affects about 1.3 million people every year. Individuals employed in the railroad, factory, shipyard, automobile, construction and building industries in last six decades are at the risk of developing asbestos symptoms.

Most unfortunate aspect of the asbestos related diseases is that the asbestos symptoms may lie dormant in the body for decades. This long latency period does not let the victim or his family knows about the existence of the disease. Asbestos symptoms might appear after 20-50 years of exposure.

No study so far has come out with convincing evidence to show the effects of different amount and different duration of exposure to asbestos particles. Although individuals who have been exposed to asbestos for a longer time are more susceptible to asbestos related diseases, yet there are instances when patients developed serious disease with only a few months exposure.

When exposed to asbestos, individuals either inhale or ingest the asbestos fibers. Natural destination of these fibers after inhalation is lungs while the ingested asbestos fibers take the route of digestive system. Therefore, asbestos symptoms start appearing in either lungs or digestive system. However, in some cases asbestos symptoms may appear in other organs also.

Asbestos symptoms may be the indicators of cancerous and non- cancerous type of asbestos diseases. Asbestosis is a non-cancerous type of asbestos disease. This disease has asbestos symptoms such as shortness of breath, chest pain and persistent cough. Ignorance of these symptoms may lead to serious disability or even death.

Mesothelioma is cancerous type of asbestos disease. Pleural mesothelioma affects the lining of lungs known as pleural membrane. Peritoneal mesothelioma shows its affect on the lining of organs of abdomen known as peritoneal membrane. Shortness of breath, persistent cough, chest pain and building up of fluids in the lungs are some symptoms of pleural mesothelioma. Asbestos symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma are weight loss, nausea, difficulty in bowel movements, foot swelling, anemia and building up of fluid in abdomen. In rare cases, fever and night sweating may also appear as asbestos symptoms.

People suffering from asbestos symptoms can file lawsuits against the persons and organizations for causing asbestos exposure. These Asbestos lawsuits can help the victims of asbestos symptoms to recover the damages for medical expenses, loss of income, lost earning capacity, pain and psychological sufferings.

About the author:
Kirsten Hawkins is a asbestos and mesothelioma specialist from Nashville, TN. Visit for information on asbestos reform, mesothelioma lawsuit news, and more.

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