Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.
About Asbestos
Asbestos is the name of a group of minerals with long, thin fibers. It was once used widely as insulation. It also occurs in the environment. Asbestos fibers are so small you can't see them. If you disturb asbestos, the fibers can float in the air. This makes them easy to inhale, and some may become lodged in the lungs.
If you breathe in high levels of asbestos over a long period of time, the fibers can build up in the lungs. This causes scarring and inflammation, and can affect breathing. Eventually it can lead to diseases such as:
- Asbestosis, or scarring of the lungs that makes it hard to breathe
- Mesothelioma, a rare cancer that affects the lining of the lungs or abdomen
- Lung cancer
Lung diseases associated with asbestos usually develop over many years. People who become ill from asbestos are usually exposed on the job over long periods of time. Smoking cigarettes increases the risk.
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
It sits within Lungs and Breathing and Poisoning, Toxicology, Environmental Health.
The lead U.S. institute for this subject is the National Cancer Institute.
When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.
Research on Asbestos
17 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.
What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.
Research currently under way
- Multidimensional Omics Analysis in Malignant Pleural MesotheliomaAzienda USL Reggio Emilia - IRCCS
- Genetic Susceptibility in MAlignant Pleural Mesothelioma: Clinical Implication of GermliNE variaTionSFondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo di Pavia
- PARA (Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma Etiology: Role of Asbestos) Study of Risk Factors for Exocrine Pancreatic Neoplasms.IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna
- Lung Cancer Screening in a Population Exposed to Occupational Lung CarcinogensCentre Hospitalier Intercommunal Creteil
Research already completed
- Artificial Intelligence in Lung Cancer ScreeningScientific Institute San Raffaele
- Effects of Silica and Asbestos Fibres on the Efferocytosis Capacities of MacrophagesRennes University Hospital
- Investigation of the Anti-Cancer Activity of Artichoke Extract in an Asbestos-Exposed PopulationOntario Clinical Oncology Group (OCOG)
- Early Diagnosis of Lung Cancer and Mesothelioma in Prior Asbestos WorkersUniversity Health Network, Toronto
- Do Your Genes Put You at a Higher Risk of Developing MesotheliomaWake Forest University
- Biomarkers to Detect Mesothelioma Early in Patients Exposed to Asbestos or VermiculiteBarbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute
Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.
Where to read more
Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.
Start Here
- AsbestosAmerican Lung Association
- AsbestosAgency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
- Safety and Health Topics: AsbestosOccupational Safety and Health Administration
Related Issues
- Learn about MesotheliomaAmerican Lung Association
- Protect Your Family from Exposures to AsbestosEnvironmental Protection Agency
- TalcFood and Drug Administration
- What Are Interstitial Lung Diseases?National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Medical subject headings
Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Asbestos, Asbestosis. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.
This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Asbestos, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.