One reason why it can sometimes be challenging to hold parties accountable for the serious health effects of asbestos exposure is that the medical conditions linked to it can take years to develop – and even longer for people to experience symptoms serious enough to send them to a doctor. This time between exposure to asbestos and being symptomatic is referred to as the “latency period.”
The latency period is generally somewhere between 10 and 40 years. So what determines whether someone is on the shorter or longer end of that spectrum?
What kinds of things determine the latency period?
The exposure itself is a factor in how long it takes a condition to be discovered. For example, how much asbestos was someone exposed to, and for how long were they exposed? The latency period is also typically shorter for smokers than non-smokers.
Further, some asbestos-related medical conditions have longer latency periods than others. For example, asbestosis, malignant mesothelioma and lung and laryngeal cancer can take multiple decades to produce symptoms. Pleural abnormalities (to the lungs and/or chest) can have a shorter latency period.
Early detection is important
No one wants to go looking for a serious medical condition. However, for people who know or believe they’ve had continued asbestos exposure through their work or elsewhere, a CAT scan can detect changes in the lungs before X-rays can.
Insurance providers may not cover that when a person isn’t symptomatic, but doctors can help influence whether insurance will pay for a scan. Getting chest X-rays is still better than not getting any kind of scans for detecting changes before they become symptomatic. The sooner a condition is detected, the better the chances typically are of treatment being successful or at least of extending a person’s life.
A diagnosis of mesothelioma or any asbestos-related condition can be devastating – no matter how long it’s been since the exposure. Research is leading to new findings and treatments, but these can be costly. That’s why it’s smart to get experienced legal guidance as soon as possible to determine the best legal options for obtaining compensation from at-fault parties to help ease that financial burden for victims and their families.