Asbestos is a group of thin microscopic fiber minerals. These fibers are resistant to fire, chemicals, and heat, so asbestos has been widely used and mined in automotive, construction, and other industries.
In case products that contain asbestos are disturbed, these tiny materials are released into the open air. If we breathe that air, those fibers become trapped in lungs and remain there for several years. As time passes these can accumulate in the lungs and cause severe health conditions.
Asbestos is a very hazardous material, which can demonstrate no symptoms of asbestos exposure for longer periods. Most of the time sufferers will not experience any kind of ill conditions until 40 years. Due to this long latency period, Knowing early warning signs and symptoms of asbestos exposure is very difficult.
Asbestos exposure shows many symptoms; unfortunately, no one of these symptoms can be regarded as the early signs of illness related to asbestos exposure. Due to the similarity between other common illnesses, people who do see symptoms may not give them attention. These symptoms may vary based on the person’s sex, overall health, and age. These symptoms can only be noticed after some period of time, it may range from several weeks to decades.
Below are some acute symptoms of asbestos exposure:
- In less than 5% cases short-term memory loss my takes place, but if it is associated with some other symptoms, these should be considered as the clear symptoms of asbestos exposure.
- A very common symptom is lung diseases, which should not be neglected. These diseases could cause pain in chest areas. Pain may be mild at initial stages but intensity may grow with disease and the dry cough, which will not cure.
- Problematic breathing can also be due to asbestos exposure. Primarily these fibers affect the soft tissues in the abdomen or chest that can cause your lungs to stop functioning.
- Exposure to asbestos fibers may lead to lung cancer development, in which the symptoms are like- chest pain, shortness of breath, coughing blood, anemia, weight loss, hoarseness and wheezing of lungs.
- Some other illnesses that are directly connected with the asbestos exposure include pleural effusion, lung pleural plaques, difficulty in swallowing, nausea, anemia, sudden fever, difficulty in swallowing, cracking, dry sound while breathing, and swelling on neck and face.
Because of early symptoms of asbestos exposure, if someone suspects that they have been exposed to asbestos they should consult their physician as soon as possible so that early treatment can be possible.
