History of Asbestosis

Asbestosis is the original asbestos related disease. It alerted the medical profession and the government authorities to the dangers of asbestos in the 1920's.

In the factories where the asbestos products were made, large numbers of workers were exposed to huge quantities of dust. It was found that many began to develop symptoms of chronic cough and breathlessness.

As they continued to work and continued to be exposed to the dust, the symptoms became more acute. Workers also became more prone to develop tuberculosis and other infections. Many died.

Microscopic examinations of the lungs at post mortems of these workers disclosed that the lungs had been penetrated by huge numbers of tiny fibres, invisible to the naked eye.

The minute size of the fibres allowed them to reach the smallest air sacs in the lungs. There, the body's defence mechanisms had reacted to the presence of the fibres causing scar tissue to form.

This first thickened and then broke down the walls of the air sacs. This in turn reduced the efficiency of the lung to transfer oxygen into the blood and also the flexibility of the lung to expand and contract, making the breathing laboured.

The presence of the asbestos fibres in the lung led to the disease being named "asbestosis".

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