ASBESTOSIS
asbestosis: translation
Fibrosis of the lung as a result of the chronic inhalation of asbestos fibres. The needle-like asbestos fibres are phagocytosed by alveolar macrophages but burst the phagosome (phagocytic vesicle) and kill the macrophage and the cycle is repeated. Mesothelioma, a rare tumour of the mesothelial lining of the pleura, is associated with intense chronic exposure to asbestos dust, particularly that of crocidolite asbestos.