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The deadly effects of asbestos
Despite being completely banned 25 years ago, asbestos remains the UK’s single biggest workplace killer.
Many of these deaths occur from people who were exposed many years earlier, as many fatal asbestos-related conditions can have a long latency period before symptoms occur.
Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that affects the mesothelium, a thin membrane that lines the inner surface of:
- The chest wall, or the pleura
- The abdomen, or peritoneum
- The testicles
The mesothelium also surrounds organs within these cavities for example the heart, lungs and intestines.
Exposure to asbestos is responsible for up to 9 out of 10 mesothelioma cases.
Pleural mesothelioma is far more common than peritoneal mesothelioma, with approximately 12 cases of pleural for every one case of peritoneal mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is also more common in men, and nearly half of the people diagnosed with the disease are over 75 years old.
Mesothelioma UK are a charity that provide support, guidance and specialist nurses to those diagnosed with mesothelioma.
Symptoms of Mesothelioma
Symptoms of pleural mesothelioma include shortness of breath, chest pain, coughing, sweating, loss of appetite and weight loss and fatigue and lethargy.
Symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma include a painful or swollen abdomen, Constipation or diarrhoea, feeling or being sick, indigestion, loss of appetite and weight loss, night sweats and fatigue .
It is believed that asbestos exposure is responsible for up to 90% mesothelioma cases. According to the HSE, over 2,700 people are diagnosed with mesothelioma each year, and the cancer was responsible for over 2,250 deaths in 2022.
Asbestosis
Asbestosis is a severe and incurable lung condition caused by exposure to asbestos fibres. Prolonged exposure to asbestos fibres causes scarring and inflammation of the lungs, though it can take up to 30 years for symptoms to begin to show.
Symptoms include persistent coughs, shortness of breath, tiredness and chest and shoulder pains.
The lung damage caused by asbestos can not be reversed, and can worsen as the condition progresses.
Asbestosis increases the risk of other lung-related conditions, including bronchitis, pneumonia, mesothelioma and other lung cancers.
Pleural disease
Pleural plaques and pleural thickening are conditions which affect the Pleura, though they are non-cancerous.
Plaques are areas of scarring on the pleura which have thickened and hardened. They are indicators of asbestos exposure.
Pleural thickening can lead to restrictions on the lungs, and cause breathlessness due to the lungs not being able to expand.
Lung cancer
Whilst smoking remains the most common cause of lung cancer, exposure to asbestos drastically increase a person's risk of developing lung cancer.
According to the National Asbestos Helpline, “A person’s risk of developing lung cancer increases by a factor of around 10 by smoking and 5 by asbestos exposure. The effect of both smoking and asbestos exposure is cumulative and the risk of developing lung cancer is increased by more than 50 times.”
Understanding the real life impact
Thousdands of lives are affected by asbestos every year. Hear from people who's lives have been changed by exposure to this silent killer.
Case studies