Exposure to asbestos can interfere with your career, but even worse, it can cause tremendous damage to your health. Even if you take precautions to protect yourself, exposure over time could lead to the development of serious health conditions.
When you know what the long-term impact of asbestos exposure is, you can determine what to do next. If your employer acted negligently, you may seek compensation from them to offset the damages.
Mesothelioma diagnosis
Arguably the worst outcome of asbestos exposure is a mesothelioma diagnosis. According to MedlinePlus, this cancerous disease can cause lots of symptoms including the following:
- Pain and swelling in your abdomen
- Difficulty breathing
- Pain under your ribcage
- Unexplained weight loss
You may need aggressive treatments to eradicate the disease and even if they are successful, you might need ongoing treatments to manage your symptoms.
Inability to work
Dealing with the symptoms of asbestos exposure could debilitate you and make it so you cannot work. This could result in lost income and benefits and lower morale. You may need to look for support for people with permanent disabilities and might need to boycott your career entirely.
Lower quality of life
Dealing with the ongoing consequences of asbestos exposure can take a toll on your emotional well-being. Constant pain, difficulty breathing and a consistent cough may interfere with your comfort and lower your quality of life.
In serious cases, your exposure to asbestos could deteriorate your health to the point where it reduces your life expectancy. If left untreated, asbestos exposure could have a fatal outcome. Your diligence in finding good health care may preserve your life despite the challenges that exposure brings.
