Asbestos poisoning is a general term given to the harmful effects on health caused by asbestos exposure. Asbestos poisoning happens when asbestos fibers get accumulated inside the body either by inhaling or swallowing. Asbestos is name given to the group of mineral fibers that occur naturally and were until recently used in making numerous products that were used by millions of people through out the world. Asbestos poisoning occurs when fibers of asbestos from these products or from the environments where they are found in high amounts are inhaled. Asbestos poisoning is observed in people who have been exposed to these asbestos fibers over longer duration of time.
                Asbestos poisoning can cause many health complications and deadly asbestos diseases. While most of these complications are not fatal or life threatening, there are few that can lead to death also. The symptoms associated with harmful effects of asbestos poisoning may take more than 10 to 60 years to appear after the initial asbestos exposure has stopped. Harmful effects of asbestos poisoning may lead to asbestos diseases like lung cancer, mesothelioma, asbestosis, pulmonary hypertension, immunological inefficiencies, digestive problems and respiratory complications.
                 The most dangerous and life threatening effects of asbestos poisoning is the cancer. While lung cancer and stomach or digestive track cancer have been associated to asbestos poisoning along with other things, mesothelioma is almost always caused by asbestos poisoning. Mesothelioma, the most deadly of the asbestos poisoning effects, is the cancer of lung’s pleural lining, the skin membrane surrounding the stomach also called peritoneal lining or the pericardial lining that surrounds the heart. It is hard to detect in early stages as it takes 40 to 50 years for the initial symptoms to appear. About 2000 new cases of mesothelioma are detected every year              
                 Asbestos poisoning can also lead to pulmonary fibrosis called asbestosis. Asbestosis is an irreversible chronic inflammatory condition that occurs when inhaled fine asbestos fibers affect the parenchymal lung tissue. Asbestosis weakens the lungs and leads to progressive breathing disorder and increase in the risk to getting other lung infections. Prolonged asbestos poisoning is the main cause of this debilitating disease. First typical symptoms of asbestosis may appear only after the 10 years of the initial asbestos exposure has ended.
               The symptoms of diseases caused by asbestos poisoning do not immediately appear after the initial asbestos exposure. It usually takes decades before people affected with asbestos poisoning start showing any symptoms. The most common asbestos poisoning symptoms, but not only limited to, are shortness of breath, pain in abdomen, swelling in stomach, regular coughing, collection of fluids around the lungs, wheezing, fatigue, weight loss, chest pains and anemia. By the time many of these asbestos poisoning symptoms appear, most of the damage has been already taken place.
              Chances of getting infected by asbestos poisoning and developing deadly asbestos diseases are much higher among the people who have been employed in the industries where asbestos was used to manufacture products. Asbestos poisoning has been detected in people who worked in construction, shipyard, railroad and asbestos mining industries. Though asbestos is not used commonly any longer and its use is regulated by many governments and regulatory agencies, there are still many buildings where asbestos materials were used in the past and living or working in those buildings can cause asbestos poisoning. That is why it is necessary for people who have history of asbestos exposure or work in places where the asbestos was used should go for regular medical examinations in order to ascertain that they are free of any asbestos poisoning.