Key takeaways: We can’t screen for asbestos exposure, but there are tests—like X-Rays, pulmonary tests, and CT scans—that can act as proxies for asbestos. Oftentimes, doctors assemble a “roadmap” of contextual clues, like occupational history and test results, in order to estimate the presence of ingested asbestos. Even if doctors are able to verify the presence of asbestos in a patient, they aren’t able to intercept it or prevent it from causing mesothelioma.
If I’m unsure if I’ve been exposed…
If you’re unsure of whether you’ve been exposed to asbestos and want to assess your risk for developing an asbestos-related disease, it can be difficult to gauge the presence of asbestos in the body. Right now, there’s not a way to qualify the presence of asbestos in someone’s body (and, by effect, the amount/type/possible location of asbestos). If you want to know if you could have been exposed to asbestos—either as a consumer or employee—it’s best to check which companies have trust funds or litigations associated with asbestos-related disease. Alternatively, you can use contextual evidence to gauge whether you could have been exposed to asbestos. Occupations associated with asbestos exposure include (but are not limited to):
- Carpenters & contractors
- Steel workers
- Factory workers
- Military (all branches, but especially Navy)
- Mechanics
- Plumbers & pipefitters
- Electricians
- Firefighters
If you worked any of these positions, especially before the 1990s, there is a chance you were exposed to asbestos. Despite context clues, though, there isn’t a way to guarantee you’ve been exposed to and/or have ingested asbestos.
Next steps
There are a few steps that medical professionals can take in terms of using proxies to estimate asbestos exposures. If you were exposed to asbestos decades ago, there’s a chance that you could have visible plaques (deposits) or fluid buildup as a result of exposure. These can be visualized via a CT scan or an X-Ray, although there isn’t a way to pinpoint asbestos as the cause of plaques or fluid. Pulmonary tests, which assess the capacity of the heart and lungs, can be a good proxy for lung (and mesothelium) damage. Research has established that about 50-60% of patients with asbestosis have abnormal pulmonary test results (with these results being somewhat standard across patients). This means that certain pulmonary abnormalities are characteristic of asbestos-related diseases.
Importantly, doctors and care providers need to assemble a “roadmap” of your occupational history, array of symptoms, results of proxy tests, and known history of asbestos exposure. For instance, if a patient worked as a carpenter, has abnormal X-Rays, and has scores poorly on pulmonary tests, then doctors might assume that he could have an asbestos-related disease. Once a patient presents like he might have an asbestos-related disease, doctors might opt for a biopsy (or other sample-based test) to check for the presence of microscopic asbestos fibers.
Even if doctors are able to accurately—eventually—screen for the presence of asbestos in the body, there isn’t a way for them to intercept, remove, or reverse the damage the asbestos fibers inflict. Instead, doctors can recommend yearly screenings to possibly catch asbestosis or mesothelioma before it develops further.
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, you deserve compensation. The experienced team at the Halpern Law Firm can help you file a claim. For more information, call (800) 505-6000 or fill out our form.
Sources:
https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/csem/asbestos/clinical_assessment-tests.html
https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/csem/asbestos/who_is_at_risk.html
