Why don't I have asbestosis?

[ProfessorDavey]

If LR was diagnosed with asbestosis, unlikely, would she be cured or would she be subjected to prolonged treatment which achieved nothing and caused a lot of anxiety?

Merchant seaman as well as those involved in ship building are considered to be at high risk of asbestos related diseases.

LR is sensible and sufficiently well read to know about the risks of asbestos/mesothelioma, there's no point in scaremongering. 

However I'm not going to dissuade anyone from being checked out if it will reassure them so will say no more.

I wasn't meaning to be scaremongering, but the appearance of 'mesothelioma' on this thread brought me up short. Not least because yesterday would have been my Dad's 84th birthday and tomorrow will be the 5th anniversary of his death.

I know all situations are different, but for my Dad had he been diagnoses perhaps a year earlier there would have been the possibility of life extending treatment (there is no cure) - as it was all that could be offered would has palliative. He might have lived for two or more years longer - the end would have been the same, but he'd have had a year or more extra in pretty good health, as people with mesothelioma tend to go downhill very rapidly at the end. That would have meant a little more time with his grandchildren, a few more birthdays and Christmasses etc.

I'd encourage anyone at risk to be checked out - it could give you a few additional precious years of life, and most importantly of quality life.

[Roses]

I wasn't meaning to be scaremongering, but the appearance of 'mesothelioma' on this thread brought me up short. Not least because yesterday would have been my Dad's 84th birthday and tomorrow will be the 5th anniversary of his death.

I know all situations are different, but for my Dad had he been diagnoses perhaps a year earlier there would have been the possibility of life extending treatment (there is no cure) - as it was all that could be offered would has palliative. He might have lived for two or more years longer - the end would have been the same, but he'd have had a year or more extra in pretty good health, as people with mesothelioma tend to go downhill very rapidly at the end. That would have meant a little more time with his grandchildren, a few more birthdays and Christmasses etc.

I'd encourage anyone at risk to be checked out - it could give you a few additional precious years of life, and most importantly of quality life.

An uncle by marriage, who used to be an asbestos salesman in the 60s died this year aged 82. He had suffered with asbestosis for about 30 years. However, I don't think it was the cause of his death, he had seven serious conditions, like a heart, which was functioning at only about 15% capacity at the time of his demise.

[Robbie]

I can see it from your pov Prof and it is very sad, I'm sorry about your father. Also your uncle, LR. I didn't intend to post on this thread again but Prof's posts moved me.

Someone much older than me whom I knew very well from when I was a child died of the same maybe fifteen years back. In the construction industry, he had worked with asbestos and when it was found to be so dangerous he started a company that removed it. He didn't do the removal himself but trained people to do it and project managed jobs, checking everything was being done properly.

Every year he (and employees) underwent a thorough medical including full chest x-ray which they had to pass in order to continue with their work, that's the law. He was presumably always clear and then one year, he wasn't. He died within a few months, it was terribly sad, he'd only just retired. However he had worked with damaged asbestos for most of his working life, his exposure had been great before the dangers were discovered. By the time something showed up on medical tests the disease was advanced and that seems to be how it goes.

There was also someone else whom I knew only slightly who died from an asbestos related disease.

We were speaking of the Navy earlier, the actor Steve McQueen who died around the 1980s was exposed to damaged asbestos whilst in the Navy, which caused his death.
Engine building, boiler insulation involved asbestos and was high risk.

We will hear less of it now of course, asbestos mining was mainly a 19-20th century thing(tho' still happens in some countries). I can't begin to imagine how many miners were affected!

LR's exposure was not anywhere near being on that scale. Most people born before the 1960s have had some asbestos exposure but not for hours every day for years in an enclosed space. Still nothing to stop her having full investigations if she wants to - which she doesn't.

(Won't say no more, promise)