Pulmonary Fibrosis is more commonly referred to as scarring in the lungs, but it is far more serious than just having a scar in your lung. According to the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (PFF), there are more than 200 different lung diseases, in the pulmonary fibrosis family, that look very much alike. When a person has pulmonary fibrosis, the scar tissue builds up in the walls of the air sacs in the lungs, eventually making it difficult for oxygen to reach the blood.
This disease affects hundreds of thousands of people in the United States. According to the CEO of the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation, it is a deadly disease with only a 2-4 year life expectancy at the time of diagnosis. Approximately 40,000 Americans die each year from pulmonary fibrosis. (PR Newswire)
Some of the causes of pulmonary fibrosis include occupational exposures, such as dusts, asbestos, silica, coal dust, beryllium, and hard metal dusts. Additionally, some environmental exposures can contribute the development of pulmonary fibrosis. These would include, but are not limited to, organic dusts, animal proteins, bacteria, and molds. A third way that pulmonary fibrosis can form is from certain medications used to treat infections, heart disease, seizures, and cancer.
For more information, visit the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation.
If you are a railroad worker who has been exposed to asbestos at work, and you have been diagnosed with cancer, please contact us for information on your legal rights, even if you currently smoke or previously smoked cigarettes. Attorneys at Doran & Murphy represent railroad workers who have developed cancer and asbestos-related pulmonary fibrosis from occupational exposures to asbestos, even if the worker smoked cigarettes.
