Asbestos effects on skin are known to cause various health complications. While the asbestos effects on the outer skin of the body does not known to cause any dangerous health effects, it is the asbestos effects on skin surrounding the internal organs of the body that can lead to fatal health issues. The more dangerous asbestos effects on skin are caused when asbestos fibers are inhaled while breathing or enter the body by drinking or eating food that have high amounts asbestos fibers.
                           When the outer skin surface of the body comes in direct contact of asbestos, asbestos fibers penetrate and get trapped in it producing callus or corn. The warts or lumps caused by asbestos effects on outer skin are non-malignant. Though the warts may be unpleasant and a bit painful they do not actually pose any serious health problems. These types of asbestos effects on skin were quite common among the people who used to handle asbestos without wearing protective clothing during the 1900s. But with the advancement in the technology new methods and protective clothing are used nowadays to handle asbestos and avoid asbestos effects on outer skin.
                             The dangerous asbestos effects on skin occur when asbestos fibers enter the body and get lodged into the thin skin membrane that surrounds the various important organs of the body. The asbestos fibers are very thin and have very sharp edges; therefore they easily penetrate the skin around the internal parts of body and because their high resistance properties can remain there for many years. These trapped asbestos fibers cause severe damage to the skin and the other parts of the body resulting in various health complications. Some of the asbestos effects on skin around the vital organs do not cause life threatening diseases while some may lead to diseases that could be fatal. The effect asbestos has on the skin is unpleasant and uncomfortable, but only years after exposure.
                          Among the various non-fatal asbestos effects on skin is Pleural Plaques. Pleura is a thin skin membrane which surrounds the lung and chest cavity. Asbestos fibers when breathed in penetrate pleura causing scarring and the thickening. Pleurae are much more sensitive than other skins surrounding the vital organs. Pleural plaques that develop after long term exposure to asbestos can lead to difficulty in breathing, coughing and reduced lung functioning. Though the damage caused by pleural plaques is not life threatening, its effects if left untreated can lead to other serious health problems like asbestosis. Asbestosis is the result of persistent exposure to asbestos fibers that affects the tissues of lungs. It happens when the asbestos exposure continues for a longer period of time. Though non-malignant, it can lead to serious health problems including diseases that can be fatal.
                        The fatal asbestos effects on skin of internal organs include lung cancer and mesothelioma. The exposure to asbestos of pleura, the skin around the lungs and the internal lung tissues for long duration of time can lead to lung cancer. Cancer of lungs because of asbestos effects on skin surrounding them develops when the body’s immune system is unable to remove asbestos fibers by itself. It happens because of the inability of body’s defense mechanism to remove asbestos fibers. Lung cancer if not diagnosed earlier can be fatal. Mesothelioma is the most deadly of the asbestos effects on skin that surrounds the internal and vital organs of the body. Mesothelioma is the cancer that occurs when the skin membrane containing mesothelial cells that surrounds the vital internal organs like lungs, heart, stomach and testis is exposed to asbestos through inhaling or ingesting.