How asbestos fibres cause disease
When asbestos-containing materials are disturbed, they release microscopic fibres that are invisible to the naked eye. When inhaled, these fibres become lodged in the lungs and surrounding tissue. The human body cannot break them down or expel them effectively. Over years and decades, the trapped fibres cause inflammation, scarring, and genetic damage to cells that can trigger cancer or progressive lung disease.
The latency period — the time between first exposure and the development of disease — is typically 20 to 50 years. This long lag means that someone exposed as a young worker in the 1970s or 1980s may only now be developing symptoms.
Not everyone exposed to asbestos will develop an asbestos-related disease. Risk depends on the duration and intensity of exposure, the type and size of fibres, and individual factors such as smoking (which dramatically increases lung cancer risk in asbestos-exposed individuals).
Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma is a cancer of the mesothelium — the thin membrane that lines the lungs (pleura), abdomen (peritoneum), and heart (pericardium). It is almost exclusively caused by asbestos