Asbestosis News and Research

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Asbestosis is a lung disease caused by breathing in particles of asbestos (a group of minerals that take the form of tiny fibers). Symptoms include coughing, trouble breathing, and chest pain caused by scarring and permanent damage to lung tissue. Asbestosis increases the risk of lung cancer and malignant mesothelioma (cancer found in the lining of the lungs, chest, or abdomen).

Asbestos exposure linked to higher incidence of lung cancers in naval personnel

A University of Adelaide and Oxford University study has discovered asbestos exposure led to a higher incidence of asbestos-related lung cancers in British and Australian naval personnel than in other armed forces.

14 Nov 2023

Low-dose CT lung cancer screening linked to reduction in lung cancer mortality

Low-dose CT lung cancer screening is associated with a 16 percent relative reduction in lung cancer mortality, when compared against a non-LDCT control arm, according to research presented by Professor John Field and the United Kingdom Cancer Screening Trial (UKLS) Team today at the IASLC 2021 World Conference on Lung Cancer. The research will be published in the Lancet Regional Health-Europe.

13 Sep 2021

In poisoned Montana town, Warren Buffett-owned railroad accuses clinic of Medicare fraud

Patricia Denny and her husband, Jeff, had hoped to one day get an RV and travel the country. Instead, Jeff has been forced into retirement at age 54 by a lung disease caused by the asbestos that's polluted the small town of Libby, Montana, for decades.

29 Apr 2021

COVID stalks Montana town already saddled with asbestos disease

Like thousands of people from Libby and Lincoln County in the far northwestern corner of Montana, the 61-year-old Fahland has scarred lungs after years of breathing in asbestos fibers from dust and soil contaminated by the town's now-defunct plant that produced vermiculite, a mineral used in insulation and gardening.

12 Oct 2020

Nintedanib drug can benefit patients with broad range of scarring lung diseases

Nintedanib, a medication approved for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, slows the decline in lung function among patients with a broad range of scarring lung diseases.

30 Sep 2019

Study reports significant link between exposure to inorganic dust and gout in women

The results of a study presented today at the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology demonstrate that occupational exposure to inorganic dust is a previously unknown risk factor for gout and also confirm known risk factors, such as alcoholism and obesity.

12 Jun 2019

New statement highlights occupational burden of non-cancerous lung diseases

More than 1 in 10 people with a range of non-cancerous lung diseases may be sick as a result of inhaling vapors, gas, dust or fumes at work, according to a joint American Thoracic Society and the European Respiratory Society statement published in the ATS’s American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

3 Jun 2019

Free screening for lung cancer can save money while building healthy relationship with patients

A free, simple screening for lung cancer can save a patient money, while building a healthy relationship for any medical needs they may have in the future.

24 Jan 2019

Asbestos found in most NHS hospitals finds BBC inquiry

An inquiry led by the BBC has found that nine out of ten NHS hospitals have asbestos. The inquiry included 211 trust hospitals of which 198 agreed that they used asbestos in their hospital.

9 Dec 2018

Study finds possible link between Type 2 diabetes and common white pigment

In a pilot study by a team of researchers at The University of Texas at Austin, crystalline particles of titanium dioxide -- the most common white pigment in everyday products ranging from paint to candies -- were found in pancreas specimens with Type 2 diabetes, suggesting that exposure to the white pigment is associated with the disease.

20 Jun 2018

When wildfire smoke invades, who should pay to clean indoor air?

As dense smoke from wildfires spread through communities across western Montana last summer, public health agencies faced an indoor problem, too: Residents suddenly needed filters to clean the air inside homes and public spaces, but there was no obvious funding source to pay for it.

8 Mar 2018

New report highlights global burden of pollution-related disease and death

Pollution is linked to an estimated nine million deaths each year worldwide – equivalent to one in six (16%) of all deaths, according to a major new report in The Lancet.

20 Oct 2017

New article describes current state of asbestos use worldwide

Challenges to global health can evolve from policies and decisions that take years or decades to unfold. An article in the current issue of the Annals of Global Health describes the current state of asbestos use worldwide, a story that began over 100 years ago, and the real and contrived controversies regarding asbestos.

8 Dec 2014

Curcumin and tackling mesothelioma: an interview with Dr. Afshin Dowlati

An important point about this work is that the research into curcumin was conducted following a discovery about mesothelioma, rather than being the primary endpoint of the study.

17 Nov 2014

Researchers suggest that proportion of IPF may be due to unknown exposure to asbestos

A proportion of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis cases may be linked with asbestos exposure, according to the results of a new study.

9 Sep 2014

Exposure to fumes released during firing of military small arms can lead to decline in lung function

Exposure to fumes released during the firing of military small arms can lead to a decline in lung function, according to a new study.

10 Sep 2013

New study reveals influence of asbestos exposure, asbestosis and smoking on lung cancer risk

The chances of developing lung cancer associated with asbestos exposure, asbestosis and smoking are dramatically increased when these three risk factors are combined, and quitting smoking significantly reduces the risk of developing lung cancer after long-term asbestos exposure, according to a new study.

12 Apr 2013