Asbestos May Cause Autoimmune Disorders in Addition to Cancer

Asbestos has been linked to many types of cancers as well as asbestosis, which impairs a person’s ability to breathe. A recently published medical journal article that reviews prior research suggests that one type of asbestos fiber can lead to autoimmune disorders. They’re conditions that cause the immune system to attack healthy tissue rather than infectious or diseased tissue.

Our immune system is not only responsible for detecting external threats that have entered the body and destroying them, but also for eliminating cells that no longer function properly. Asbestos fibers can disrupt the delicate and complex balance between the immune system’s response to potential and actual health threats while avoiding healthy cells.

Satterley & Kelley, PLLC attorneys represent those diagnosed with asbestos-related diseases who seek compensation for the harm they suffer. If you are in this situation, call us at 855-385-9532 to learn more about how we can help you obtain compensation for your injuries.

What is Asbestos?

Asbestos is the name used for a group of mineral fibers that are extremely strong, light, and durable. One of these fibers is so small that you can’t see it with your naked eye, and so light that it can float in the air for hours. Asbestos fibers are resistant to fire, heat, chemicals, and electricity. These qualities made asbestos attractive to companies that made thousands of products containing it over centuries.

What are the Types of Asbestos?

There are six types: chrysotile (white asbestos), crocidolite (blue asbestos), amosite (brown asbestos), tremolite, anthophyllite, and actinolite. Researchers focused on amphibole fibers, which are crocidolite, amosite, and anthophyllite. They have a needle-like crystal structure and are considered the most hazardous asbestos type because they stick into flesh after they’re inhaled or swallowed.

What is an Autoimmune Disease?

An autoimmune disease is the result of your immune system (which normally protects your body from infections and mutated tissue like cancer tumors) targeting and attacking your healthy tissues, according to USA Today.

This causes a chronic inflammatory response that, if not stopped, can cause tissue damage and organ dysfunction. There are as many as 150 autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis, type one diabetes, and Crohn’s disease.

Medical Journal Article Makes the Case that Amphibole Asbestos May Cause Autoimmune Disorders

Researchers who wrote a 2024 article in Autoimmunity Reviews conclude that amphibole asbestos is associated with systemic autoimmune diseases. That means there appears to be a connection, though there isn’t enough evidence to establish that these fibers cause these conditions. Most occupational studies have not shown an association between chrysotile fibers and autoimmune conditions.

Most of the evidence comes from studies of people exposed to asbestos in Libby, Montana, Italy, and Australia. Forty-eight studies involving humans and 15 involving lab animals show that amphibole asbestos can drive the body’s production of the following:

• Pathogenic autoantibodies (PA): Antibodies circulate through the body to identify and destroy infections and unhealthy tissues. Pathogenic autoantibodies mistakenly target and attack healthy cells and tissues. They are associated with pleural fibrosis, which thickens the lungs and makes it more difficult to breathe
• Antinuclear autoantibodies (ANA): These are a type of pathogenic autoantibodies. They also destroy healthy tissue, particularly the nucleus of a healthy cell (a part of the cell that controls and regulates it). They are associated with causing lupus

If enough of these autoantibodies are present, they can cause systemic autoimmune diseases (SAID).

Which SAIDs are Associated with Amphibole Asbestos?

The article states that they include the following:

• Systemic sclerosis (or scleroderma):This involves the tightening and hardening of the skin, though it may also affect blood vessels, internal organs, and the digestive tract
• Systemic lupus erythematosus:This is chronic disease affects many parts of the body. It causes inflammation that can injure the skin, heart, lungs, brain, joints, and blood
• Rheumatoid arthritis: This chronic inflammatory condition causes pain, swelling, and joint irritation. It can also damage the skin, eyes, lungs, heart, and blood vessels

The process by which asbestos fibers enter the body and lead to these conditions is complex and involves many factors.

How Do Asbestos Fibers Cause an Autoimmune Response?

The article states the following:

“Amphibole asbestos induces pathways of inflammation, ROS and cell death… leading to inflammasome activation, release of DAMPs, loss of regulatory T cell activity, and activation of B cells with autoantibody production. Cell death pathways result in altered signaling, antigen modification, and immune cell recruitment. Altered signaling leads to immune dysregulation, TH17 responses and lost tolerance.”

Translated to English, this means the following:

• These asbestos fibers activate internal sensors in cells that are part of the immune response. There’s a quick, local inflammation that causes swelling
• Exposure to an asbestos fibers release damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs). These are molecules released by damaged or dying cells, signaling the immune system to start inflammation
• Asbestos exposure reduces the activity of regulatory or suppressor T cells, a type of white blood cell that helps control the immune system by suppressing responses to prevent autoimmune diseases
• B cells (a type of white blood cell that protects you from infections by making proteins called antibodies to destroy a perceived threat) are activated
• Cells exposed to asbestos die. How cells chemically signal each other changes, and chemicals on the cells that can trigger an immune response change
• The immune response is to send its own cells to this area, and, because of this, changes chemical signaling and the less active T cells, the immune system over-responds and attacks healthy cells

Another factor in the process is that a person may be genetically predisposed to respond to asbestos fibers in this way.

Call Us Today for a Free Consultation

We are your boots on the ground if you or someone you love in Kentucky suffers from mesothelioma or another asbestos-related illness. To reach our Louisville office, call 502-589-5600 or toll-free at 855-385-9532. You may also complete our contact form for a free initial consultation.