Asbestosis risk factors


 * Associate Editor(s)-In-Chief: Kim-Son H. Nguyen, M.D., M.P.A., Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston MA,

Overview

 * Asbestos exposure occurs most commonly in the workplace.
 * Miners and millers of asbestos are at risk, but at even greater risk are people exposed during manufacturing and construction.
 * Maintenance, repair, and removal of asbestos-containing material can also result in significant exposures.
 * The health risk to building occupants where asbestos is in good repair and undisturbed is thought to be insignificant.
 * Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) regulations require special precautions in areas where the concentration is > 0.2 fibers per cubic milliliter of air.
 * About 8% of asbestos workers will die of respiratory failure secondary to asbestosis, and asbestos workers have a 50% chance of dying from malignancy (versus 18% chance for the average American).
 * Asbestosis is a slowly progresive disease, so only a subset of patients progress on to respiratory failure.
 * Risk factors for progression include:
 * Cumulative exposure
 * Duration of exposure
 * Degree of symptoms
 * Cigaretter smoking
 * Diffuse pleural thickening
 * Honeycombing on high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT)
 * High concentrations of inflammatory cells on BAL