An asbestos fiber is 400 to 2 000 times smaller than a human hair, allowing it to penetrate to the alveoli: gas exchange take place between air and blood circulation.

Trapped, these fibers can cause inflammation or non-cancerous chromosomal abnormalities, the starting point for benign disease or cancer:

Asbestosis

Asbestos pleural disease asbestosis cancer mésothéliomesLes asbestos fibers enter the lungs and cause inflammation, which is transformed into fibrosis (thickening of lung tissue). It generally takes about ten years between inhalation and onset of the disease. Shortness of breath, dry cough, tightness are the first symptoms can progress to respiratory failure, which can be fatal.

The diagnosis is based on radiography, tomography and functional exploration and detection of asbestos bodies in bronchial secretions.

There is no effective treatment for this disease in decline since the decrease rates of asbestos exposure.

Benign pleural

These lesions of the pleura are not the beginnings of cancer of the lung or pleura (mesothelioma). There are different types of benign pleural pleurisy benign (collection of fluid), pleural fibrosis (sclerosis secondary to pleurisy can sometimes lead to calcification), atelectasis, wound (benign mass developing in the contact of the pleura).

These injuries can sometimes cause a decrease in breathing capacity or pain.

Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma reaches the membrane of the pleura or, less commonly the peritoneum (the protective membrane of the intestines in the abdominal cavity) or the pericardium (membrane that surrounds the heart). The pleural cancer is almost exclusively related to exposure to asbestos. Tobacco is no way implicated in mesothelioma. This disease can develop thirty to forty years after exposure to asbestos.

• Asbestosis

Asbestos pleural disease asbestosis cancer Mesothelioma asbestos fibers enter the lungs and cause inflammation, which is transformed into fibrosis (thickening of lung tissue). It usually happens about ten years between inhalation and onset of the disease. Shortness of breath, dry cough, tightness are the first symptoms can progress to respiratory failure, which can be fatal.

The diagnosis based on radiography, CT and pulmonary function and detection of asbestos bodies in the bronchial secretions.
There is no effective treatment for this disease in decline since the lower rate of exposure to asbestos.

• Benign pleural

These lesions of the pleura are not the beginnings of cancer of the lung or pleura (mesothelioma). There are different types of pleural benign benign pleurisy (collection of fluid), pleural fibrosis (sclerosis secondary to pleurisy can sometimes lead to calcification), atelectasis by winding (benign mass developing in contact with the pleura).
These injuries can sometimes cause a decrease in breathing capacity or pain.

• Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma reaches the membrane of the pleura and less commonly the peritoneum (protective membrane of the intestines in the abdominal cavity) or the pericardium (membrane that surrounds the heart). This cancer of the pleura is almost exclusively related to exposure to asbestos. Tobacco has no involvement in mesothelioma. This disease can develop thirty to forty years after exposure to asbestos.