I contacted asbestos at work.Would it pose any health risk?

Question

Hello doctor,

I had some concerns regarding asbestosis. Approximately 10-11 years ago, I worked on a building site. I was asked to remove some insulation off a water pipe in an attic. At that time, I asked the site manager if the insulation was asbestos, and he said it was not. I also took a sample of it back to the office and asked the health and safety manager, and he also said it was not. As time has gone on I have always wondered if it was asbestos that I removed from the pipe. This was not a task I carried out frequently in my work, so I cannot think of any other times I may have come into contact with the asbestos. I worked as a plumber for approximately 2 years, but I did not really get involved with older buildings. My main problem is that I am a hypochondriac, and I recently saw a show on television where it said if you think you may have come across asbestos, speak to your general practitioner.

So, I went to my GP, and he advised that it would be considered a low-risk encounter, and people who suffer from mesothelioma are people who work with it day in and day out over many years. He said there was not any concern and that asbestos is in the air in small doses. I said I did not want to end up with mesothelioma, and he advised that it was very rare and in his 30 years as a GP, only one patient he knew had mesothelioma, who worked in a shipbuilding industry day in and day out. He said that even in a worst-case situation it would not show up until I was in my 70s (I am just 30 years old now). The average latency period is around 40 years for mesothelioma. My visit did put my mind at rest, but I still went for a second opinion, and the private doctor advised me the same. As I had paid for a 25-minute consultation, she did give me a physical examination and said everything was normal. After checking my peak flow test, in which I scored 660, and my blood oxygen saturation, which was 98%, she said it was really good. She said everything was normal and not to worry. But again I find myself still worrying. Please advise.

Kindly help.

Answer 1

Hi

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I want to assure you not to worry, as everything is looking normal to me. I have thoroughly gone through your case and can well understand your genuine concerns regarding asbestosis, mesothelioma, and other risks you may be having from being exposed to insulation a decade ago. You are 30 years old, and there is no latent period for mesothelioma to come up like this. A person with very high and continuous exposure to asbestos may develop asbestosis after more than 20 years. Every asbestosis patient never gets malignant mesothelioma or lung carcinoma (it is the same as not every hepatitis B patient gets hepatocellular carcinoma). Mesothelioma never comes as a first sign of disease. It first appears as many lung issues that go on for many years, and with chronic asbestosis, it may sometimes affect the patient. You are all safe and negative for any kind of lung issues. In my view, you are never a candidate for asbestosis or mesothelioma, as the pipe insulation you had removed has been confirmed to have no asbestos by your safety manager. Right now your lungs are all very fine, and you did really great with the peak flow testing. Your blood oxygen saturation is very good, being 98%. You were at a risk of less than 1% of developing asbestosis. If you were working in an industry like shipmaking or painting and you inhaled years and years of large amounts of asbestos on a continuous basis, you may develop asbestosis. The same is the case with other pneumoconiosis (occupational lung diseases) categories. If there had been any risks or damages done to the delicate parts of your lungs, you would have most probably presented as rales (abnormal breath sounds) in the posterior sides of the lung bases or abnormal PFT (Pulmonary Function Test), but as you know your score of peak flow of 660 is pretty good.

Some other signs and symptoms would have been fingernail clubbing (drumstick fingers), cyanosis (bluish discoloration of the skin due to reduced oxygen supply), difficulty in breathing and shortness of breath when you exert a little bit, like climbing stairs, edema (swelling) of feet, and cough. All investigations have been sufficiently done. Please relax, and there's no need to worry about that anymore. You look safe. Just for your own satisfaction, you may go for serial chest x-rays, PFT, and cardiac examinations, all from your GP every 6-8 months. So, my final suggestion for you is to sit, relax, and enjoy your healthy life. All the available evidence of medical science makes you free of any risk of asbestosis or mesothelioma from that insufficient/no exposure incident.

Thank you.

Answer 2

Hi,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

I am glad that your lung bases are clear (according to your CT scan report). Well, I agree with you that your safety manager may not be that competent. That is why we have devised CT scanners/digital x-ray machine and other hi-tech radiological diagnostic gadgets to get assistance in diagnosis of the disease at earlier stages. Asbestosis is very easy to diagnose and nobody at risk may ever get skipped through the serial process of diagnosis. The major diagnostic tool in pneumoconiosis and especially asbestosis is the history of the patient and the profession he does. You never fit into the diagnosis based straight on the history (and you got the green signal right at your first visit to a physician). CT scan is the best way to see the morphological structures of human bodily organs. Asbestos whenever comes in (it is somewhat fibrous) it always goes to the bottom and affects the bases of the lungs. On CT scan, bases of the lungs came out clear meaning that there was no harm/damage done by anything.

Thank you.