Asbestos Exposure and Tuberculosis

Date Posted: January 19, 2012

It is well-known that exposure to asbestos increases the risk of developing diseases such as asbestosis, mesothelioma, and other cancers. What many people do not realize is that it can also weaken the immune system, increasing vulnerability to infectious diseases. The World Health Organization estimates that tuberculosis, more commonly called TB, kills 1.7 million people globally every year; this is more than any other infectious disease. TB has traditionally been viewed as a disease of the poor and malnourished hitting areas such as South-East Asia and sub-Saharan Africa particularly hard. However, anyone is vulnerable, and things such as smoking and exposure to asbestos increase risk.

About one-third of all people globally have been exposed to TB. Many of these people live in developing countries where exposure to asbestos is more likely. This is problematic in places like China and India that are already hit hard by tuberculosis. Newly diagnosed cases of TB in South-East Asia may represent as much as 40 percent of all new TB infections yearly.

Outside of the developing world, what does this mean? For people living in the United States, TB doesn’t present as big of a problem. However, this doesn’t mean that exposure in the developed world isn’t possible. Not everyone who is a carrier of TB is sick. Normally, when a person displays symptoms of TB they are tested and treated. Sometimes a person exposed to TB develops a latent infection. This means they can transmit TB to others but are not actually sick themselves. They are far less likely to receive treatment while still spreading the disease.

A person with a latent TB infection can develop TB disease when their immune system is no longer able to fight off the TB bacteria. A compromised immune system due to asbestos exposure increases vulnerability. The treatment of other asbestos related diseases also affects the ability to combat TB. Surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy used to treat mesothelioma weakens a person’s immune system increasing the likelihood of contracting infectious diseases such as TB.

Asbestos dangers and the effects of asbestos exposure are well-known. Mesothelioma, other cancers, and asbestosis are what normally come to mind when thinking of asbestos related disease. It is important to understand that asbestos can cause more health problems than just cancer. Any compromise in the immune system is serious. Infections contracted during treatment of other asbestos related diseases can complicate therapy and recovery. People who have been exposed to asbestos, or are victims of asbestos related disease, need to take precaution against TB. Testing for TB exposure is easy and can lead to treatment of TB before it is even symptomatic.