What Does Asbestos Fibers do to the Lung Tissue?

The effects of asbestos fibers on lung tissue is directly related to the length of the fibers. The fiber length determines where the fibers will be deposited in the lungs. Fibers less than 3mm move into the lung tissue and the lining surrounding the lung. This is the Pleura. Fibers greater than 5mm are not broken down by the body's cells. They remain in the lung tissue. These fibers cause inflammation.

The cells react to the foreign object, releasing dangerous substances into the lungs and lung tissue. The fibers never leave the lung. The inflammation can cause scaring on the lung, and can lead to the process that starts cancer.

The inflammation continues, damaging more tissue around the asbestos fibers. This increases the scarring that moves through the tissue into the small airways and eventually the larger airways. They finally end up in the alveoli, the air sacs.
Other fibers move to the surface of the lung where they form patches of white-gray scarred tissue in the lungs lining, also called the pleura. In extreme cases, the scarring damages both the lung and the pleura.

The risk of developing cancer depends on the types of fiber that are absorbed into the body.