Asbestos exposure can cause a number of disabling and fatal diseases

The Navy follows active service members and civilians even after their exposure to asbestos ceases, because the "latency" from time of initial exposure to time of development of asbestos-related-respiratory effect, often 15 years or more. Lung cancer risk is greatly increased in asbestos workers who smoke. A threshold level is not known. Latency period is about 25 years. Despite the common misconception, asbestos does not cause head-aches, sore muscles or other such symptoms.

Asbestos exposure can cause a number of disabling and fatal diseases. The principal rout of exposure is by inhalation through the nose and mouth. This delay between exposure and onset is referred to as the "latency period". Unlike asbestos, mold-related illnesses have a shorter latency period, illness is usually immediately apparent and any injury is usually not as severe or permanent.

Sometimes referred to as asbestos-related lung cancer, mesothelioma

Sometimes referred to as asbestos-related lung cancer, mesothelioma is not the same as lung cancer. Sometimes people who worked with asbestos for as little as one or two months get mesothelioma. The armed forces used asbestos extensively in the 20th century. Because of the long latency period, many veterans are only now being diagnosed.

For the period 1990–2000, cases were collected from records held by two law firms. Information on jobs held, previous employers, activities etc. The average latency period was ~ 40 yr and the average duration of exposure was 22 years. Ship building and maintenance contributed the largest number of cases. Due to the long latency period, asbestos exposure from 1960 to 1980 will cause a considerable number of mesothelioma cases in the next two decades.

Chronic symptoms are long term effects where acute symptoms are generally irritating effects associated with exposure. Latency of malignant mesothelioma generally shows a large variability and the relationship with the modality of asbestos exposure is still not fully clarified.

Mesothelioma cancer has a long latency (15-40 years)

Mesothelioma cancer has a long latency (15-40 years), or period of time between the start of the disease and the point when symptoms become apparent. To find out more about mesothelioma and other asbestos cancer related illnesses, visit the Mesothelioma Treatment Centers. Mesothelioma, which is a cancer of the soft tissue surrounding the internal organs, is almost exclusively linked to past asbestos exposure.

Asbestos cancer strikes navy retirees - caused by exposure which occurred while serving aboard ships in the 1940s, 50s and 60s. Because of the long latency period involved in all asbestos diseases, both cancerous and non-cancerous, it may take from 20-50 years or more from initial exposure. By the time the Navy became aware that asbestos products were harmful, it was too late for the thousands of veterans who became ill with asbestosis.

A mesothelioma patient may not demonstrate symptoms for decades

A mesothelioma patient may not demonstrate symptoms for decades as the latency period associated with the cancer is generally 20 to 50 years. According to most experts, in the case of mesothelioma the latency period ranges from 20 to 50 years after initial exposure to asbestos occurred. Contracting an asbestos disease depends upon a variety of exposure risk factors. Some jobs pose greater asbestos dangers due to asbestos exposure. Your chance of getting an asbestos–related disease depends on certain conditions called risk factors.

All of the asbestos diseases have a latency period. The latency period is the gap between the time you breathe asbestos and the time you start to feel sick. The latency period for asbestos diseases is between 10 to 40 years. You will not feel sick during the latency period. Currently, the average survival period for a patient diagnosed with mesothelioma is about one year. That is an average, however, that is impacted by three other important statistics. The latency period for mesothelioma can be anywhere from twenty to fifty years.

Diseases associated with asbestos typically have a long latency period.

Diseases associated with asbestos typically have a long latency period. The onset of asbestosis, for example, averages from about 10 to 20 years after exposure. There are many factors that influence the length of the latency period in asbestos-related illnesses. The latency period for malignant mesothelioma is the amount of time between exposure to asbestos and the time when the disease becomes apparent clinically. Higher exposure to asbestos may result in a shorter latency period.
For pleural mesothelioma, the mean latency period was 35 years.

Asbestos was called "the magic mineral" because its unique chemical composition and physical properties made it suitable for use in thousands of products from floor tiles to road signs. Asbestosis is an irreversible and progressive lung condition which results from the inhalation of asbestos fibres over an extended period. The latency period for lung cancer associated with asbestos exposure is usually between fifteen and thirty-five years.