Today most people know about the dangers of being exposed to asbestos. So when they work on an old building, they make sure to take the adequate precautions so there is no prolonged exposure that could lead to asbestosis, lung cancer, or mesothelioma. However, these precautions have not always been around. In fact, many people have been exposed to asbestos every day for years and they don’t even realize it. The reason is because asbestos poisoning takes decades to show up.

If you worked in a factory setting, or in some other blue collar position, several decades ago, there is a chance that you have been exposed to asbestos. Get checked out if you have any of these warning signs.

Warning Signs of Asbestos Poisoning

Persistent Cough – Everybody gets a cough every now and then. And most of them will clear up within a few days. However, if you have a cough that persists for more than a week or two, and you are constantly hacking up mucus (a lot of people refer to this type of cough as a “smoker’s cough”), then you may have lung problems.

Chest Pain and Tightness – If you feel like something is pushing on your chest, and it is hard to take a big deep breath, there may be scarring in your lungs.

Loss of Appetite – Even though asbestos affects primarily the lungs, it can lead to other problems in the dietary tract.

Crackling or Wheezing Breaths – Signs of inadequate lung function include funny sounds when you breathe.

Unexplained Weight Loss – A sign of almost all cancers, including mesothelioma and lung cancer, is unexplained weight loss.

Other Chest or Lung Problems – If something just doesn’t feel right, and the pain or discomfort persists for more than a week, you may have further problems.

What to Do

If you feel that something is wrong with your lungs, then you should get checked out by a doctor. A specialist can look to see if you have lung cancer, asbestosis, or mesothelioma. If you are diagnosed, then you do have options.

Mesothelioma can only be caused by prolonged exposure to asbestos. This is not caused by that one time you crawled around in your attic. If you are diagnosed with this rare cancer, then it happened because you were exposed every single day on the job. And you should file a form of worker’s compensation claim.

Suppose you were working, and because of an unsafe work environment, you slipped and broke your leg. You wouldn’t hesitate to file a claim. Just because your injury didn’t manifest itself for decades, doesn’t mean you should do any different. Find a personal injury attorney, and see what your options are.