Who is affected by asbestosis?

Who is affected by asbestosis?

You’re more at risk of getting asbestosis if you have long-term exposure to asbestos. This is true if your job involves handling materials containing asbestos. These types of jobs include:

• Asbestos miners, installers or removers.
• Auto and aircraft mechanics.
• Construction crews.
• Electrical workers.
• Railroad and shipyard workers.

Even if you don’t work with asbestos, you could be at risk if you live with someone who comes home from one of these jobs and has dust or fibers on their clothing. You can also be at risk of breathing in particles if you’re around a demolition site or you’re near an asbestos mine.

Most people with asbestosis inhaled asbestos particles while at work before the 1970s. At that time, the U.S. government enacted regulations to limit on-the-job asbestos exposure.

Today, you’re unlikely to develop asbestosis if you follow safety regulations. However, asbestosis can take a long time to appear. Doctors sometimes diagnose asbestosis in people who acquired the disease many years ago.