Asbestosis Causes and Your Legal Rights From New York Attorneys

Asbestosis Causes: When unwanted particles get into your lungs, immune cells destroy most of them.

Alveoli, a particular part of the lung for example, house their own special cleanup crew — immune cells called macrophages, which are attracted to and ingest foreign substances, such as smoke particles, dust and chemicals.

Unfortunately, asbestos fibers are difficult to destroy, even for macrophages.

When a macrophage attempts to ingest an asbestos fiber, it often fails because the fiber is too long and partially resistant to breakdown.

In the process, however, the macrophage leaks out substances that were supposed to destroy the foreign body, but these substances can also harm the alveoli. This causes the alveoli to become inflamed and eventually scar, a process referred to as fibrosis.

If many fibers are inhaled over a long period, the cumulative scarring of alveoli reduces their ability to exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide.

The result is that your lung capacity diminishes, oxygen exchange is diminished, and you feel increasingly short of breath.

Also, because the lungs are stiff, like a dried sponge, it takes a great deal of muscular effort to breathe.

If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with asbestosis, please complete the form on this page for a free legal assessment.