Asbestosis facts for kids

Asbestosis is a serious lung disease caused by breathing in tiny fibers from a natural material called asbestos. It's important not to confuse asbestosis with mesothelioma, which is a type of cancer also linked to breathing in asbestos fibers. Both diseases affect the lungs and can be very dangerous.

What is Asbestosis?

Asbestosis is a long-term lung condition. It happens when asbestos fibers get stuck deep inside your lungs. Over time, these fibers can cause scarring in the lung tissue. This scarring makes it harder for your lungs to work properly.

How Asbestos Causes Harm

Asbestos is a group of natural minerals. For many years, it was used in buildings and products because it was strong and resistant to heat. When materials containing asbestos are disturbed, tiny fibers can float into the air. If you breathe these fibers in, they can travel into the smallest parts of your lungs.

The Body's Reaction to Asbestos

Your body tries to get rid of these foreign fibers. But asbestos fibers are very tough and hard to remove. This leads to inflammation and, eventually, scarring. This scarring is called fibrosis. It makes the lung tissue stiff and less able to expand and contract.

Symptoms of Asbestosis

Symptoms of asbestosis usually develop slowly. They might not appear until many years after someone was first exposed to asbestos.

• Shortness of breath: This is often the first and most common symptom. It might get worse with exercise.
• Persistent cough: A dry cough that doesn't go away.
• Chest pain or tightness: A feeling of discomfort in the chest area.
• Clubbing of fingers and toes: The tips of the fingers and toes might become wider and rounder.
• Fatigue: Feeling very tired.

Preventing Asbestosis

The best way to prevent asbestosis is to avoid breathing in asbestos fibers.

Where Asbestos Was Used

Asbestos was widely used in many products before its dangers were fully known.

• Building materials: It was common in insulation, roof tiles, floor tiles, and cement products.
• Car parts: Used in brake pads and clutch linings.
• Other products: Found in some textiles and plastics.

Safety Measures Today

Today, the use of asbestos is heavily restricted or banned in many countries. If asbestos is found in old buildings, special teams are trained to remove it safely. They wear protective gear to prevent breathing in the fibers.

• Never disturb materials you suspect might contain asbestos.
• If you work in a place where asbestos might be present, always follow safety rules.
• Use proper protective equipment, like special masks, if you are around asbestos.

Related pages

• Pneumoconiosis

Images for kids

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  White asbestos fibers identified in room air analysis, magnified 5000 times using a scanning electron microscope

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  Close-up asbestosis right lower zone ILO 2/2 S/S

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  Lateral chest X-ray in asbestosis shows plaquing of the diaphragm.

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  Figure A shows the location of the lungs, airways, pleura, and diaphragm in the body. Figure B shows lungs with asbestos-related diseases, including pleural plaque, lung cancer, asbestosis, plaque on the diaphragm, and mesothelioma.

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  Extensive fibrosis of pleura and lung parenchyma.

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  The arrow points to an uncoated segment of asbestos fiber in this ferruginous body.

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  Severe pleural fibrosis with focal calcification.

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  61 yr old working industrially with asbestos for decades.

See also

Learn more in Spanish

In Spanish: Asbestosis para niños