Asbestos

Health Effects

Asbestos is a Category 1 Carcinogen and inhalation of fibres can over time lead to various serious lung conditions, including asbestosis and cancer.

Where asbestos materials are in good condition and unlikely to be disturbed they do not present a risk. However, where asbestos materials are in poor condition, disturbed or damaged, asbestos fibres may become airborne, which when breathed in can cause serious lung disease.

Between 2015 and 2019, 341 people within Northern Ireland have died from asbestos related diseases with asbestosis or mesothelioma being the primary or secondary cause of death. This level of death is likely to continue for the foreseeable future due to historic exposures and the long latency period between exposure and diagnosis.

Asbestos related diseases are caused by breathing in very fine respirable asbestos fibres. As these fibres accumulate in the lungs, four main types of disease may occur:

• Asbestosis is a scarring of the lung tissue caused by breathing in asbestos fibres over a period of years leading to a progressive loss of elasticity and lung function. It is a slowly developing disease with the time between exposure and disease onset typically 15 to 20 years.
   
• Lung Cancer is a cancer of the lungs. Individuals exposed to asbestos fibres have an increased risk of developing lung cancer which is further greatly increased by smoking. Again the disease has a long latency period of approximately 20 years. 
   
• Diffuse Pleural Thickening/Pleural Plaques is a non-malignant disease due to exposure to significant levels of airborne asbestos fibre.  It causes scarring and thickening of the membrane of the lungs.  This thickening of the membrane can restrict lung expansion leading to breathlessness.
   
• Mesothelioma is a cancer of the lining of the lungs or the lining of the abdominal cavity. There is no cure with diagnosis to death usually within 18 months. Mesothelioma has a long latency period which can be in excess of 60 years.  This disease is associated with asbestos exposure particularly brown and blue asbestos and can be associated with low or marginal exposures, unlike long term exposures associated with other asbestos related disease.