Asbestos sitting undisturbed inside a wall does not make anyone sick. The trouble starts when the material is cut, sanded, crushed or left to crumble. That is when microscopic fibres drift into the air you breathe. Once inhaled, those fibres can lodge in lung tissue and stay there for decades. That is why asbestos is treated as a serious hazard in older buildings.
This article explains the health conditions that researchers and doctors have linked to asbestos exposure. It is background reading, not medical advice. If you believe you have been exposed, the right next step is a conversation with your own doctor.
At Mold Removal Winnipeg, we test for and remove asbestos in older homes across the city. Most people who call us are not unwell. They are homeowners who found something odd behind a wall and want it dealt with before anyone breathes it in.
How Asbestos Affects the Body
Asbestos fibres are thin, sharp and very small. Your nose and throat trap most ordinary dust, but asbestos fibres are fine enough to reach deep into the lungs. The body cannot break them down and struggles to clear them out. The fibres stay put and cause slow irritation and scarring. That is why asbestos illnesses are so delayed. Most appear many years after the first exposure, and some take decades. Our guide to asbestos health risks and removal covers where the material hides and how abatement works.
Common Asbestos-Related Health Conditions
Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma is a rare cancer that forms in the thin lining around the lungs, the abdomen or the heart. It is closely associated with asbestos exposure. Reported symptoms include shortness of breath, chest or abdominal pain, and tiredness that does not lift. Those signs resemble many ordinary illnesses, so the condition is often identified late.
Asbestosis
Asbestosis is long-term scarring of lung tissue caused by inhaled asbestos fibres. The scarring makes the lungs stiffer, so they move oxygen into the blood less efficiently. Documented symptoms include shortness of breath that gets worse with activity, a dry cough, chest tightness, and a crackling sound while breathing in. It is linked to heavy or repeated exposure rather than one brief incident.
Lung Cancer
Asbestos exposure is a recognized risk factor for lung cancer. Smoking is a much larger risk factor on its own, and the two together raise risk beyond either one alone. Symptoms reported with lung cancer include a cough that will not settle, chest pain, hoarseness, shortness of breath and unexplained weight loss. All of those have many possible causes, which is why they belong in front of a doctor.
Pleural Effusion and Pleural Thickening
Not every asbestos-related condition is a cancer. Asbestos is also linked to changes in the pleura, the lining between the lungs and the chest wall. Pleural effusion is a buildup of fluid in that space. Pleural thickening means the lining becomes thicker and less flexible. Pleural plaques are patches of hardened tissue on the same lining. These conditions can bring chest discomfort, coughing and breathlessness.
Less Common Conditions Linked to Asbestos
Exposure has also been connected to cancers outside the chest. These are less common, but they appear in the research:
- gastrointestinal cancers
- kidney cancer
- laryngeal cancer
- ovarian cancer
Bronchial problems and ongoing breathing difficulty are also reported after long exposure.
Where the Exposure Comes From
Most asbestos in a Winnipeg house is bonded into solid material. Floor tiles, shingles, wallboard and cement sheeting hold their fibres as long as nobody disturbs them. Exposure usually happens in a few predictable situations:
- working directly with asbestos material on a job site
- living in a home where asbestos-containing material has been damaged
- drilling, sanding or demolishing older building material without testing it first
- pipe or attic insulation that has been crushed, soaked or chewed by rodents
- fibres carried home on work clothing
Some jobs carry far more exposure risk than others, and children are more vulnerable than adults. If any of this describes your property, testing is faster than guessing. Call us at (204) 789-1514 and we will explain what can be checked on site and what needs a lab.
If You Think You Have Been Exposed
Tell your doctor. Say where you think the exposure happened, roughly when, and how long it lasted. That history helps a health professional decide what, if anything, is worth watching for in your case. Do not wait for a dramatic symptom before raising it. A past exposure cannot be undone, but it can be stopped from continuing.
Prevention Is the Part You Control
Every condition on this page begins with breathing fibres. So the practical defence is keeping fibres out of the air. Do not scrape, cut or tear out suspect material yourself. One weekend of demolition can release more fibres into a house than decades of leaving that material alone. If your property was built before the 1990s, have suspect materials identified before any renovation starts. Damaged material should be assessed and removed by certified technicians who seal off the area, use proper equipment and dispose of the waste correctly. That is the work our asbestos removal and abatement crews do.
Talk To Us Before You Disturb Anything
You cannot read your way out of a health condition, but you can remove the material that causes one. Mold Removal Winnipeg is available 24/7 and our technicians are IICRC certified. Call (204) 789-1514 or reach us through our contact page for asbestos testing and safe removal in Winnipeg.
