Asbestos fibres are long and thin and if inhaled can become lodged in the chest tissue and the body’s natural defences may not be able to easily break them down. This can lead to respiratory diseases (lung cancers), particularly if exposure to fibres is highly concentrated in a short period of time or constant over a number of years.

Exposure to asbestos can lead to three main diseases:

• Asbestosis: lung cancer caused by regular exposure to   asbestos fibres
• Mesothelioma: cancer of the lining of the lungs.
• Increased incedence of lung cancer

The symptoms of the asbestos related diseases can take anywhere from 15-60 years to develop and is currently responsible for up to 3500 deaths a year in Britain alone. Due to the long delay between first exposure to asbestos and the ensuing symptoms of respiratory disease, the majority of those now dying were exposed to asbestos between the 1950s and 1970s, before the current control regulations were introduced.