Overview of Environmental Lung Diseases
What are environmental lung diseases?
Environmental lung diseases are illnesses caused by harmful particles, mists, vapors, or gases in the air that you breathe.
Some people get ill from the air outside (air pollution-related illness). Other people get sick from air they breathe in buildings where they live, work, or go to school (building-related illness).
Most people with an environmental lung disease got it from something at work. For example:
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People who work with cotton, flax, or hemp can get byssinosis
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Coal workers can get black lung
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People who work around asbestos can get asbestosis, mesothelioma, and asbestos-related pleural disease
What are the symptoms of environmental lung diseases?
How can doctors tell if I have an environmental lung disease?
Doctors will ask whether your symptoms come on only in certain places and times. They will ask about your work and what substances may be in the air. Doctors may do:
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Breathing tests
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Imaging tests such as chest x-ray or CT scan
