diagnosed with asbestos

Hi everyone,
I read the phrase below in an email and i do not understand it.
My friend Paul was diagnosed with asbestos and he is in hospital now.

As far as i know asbestos is a material used in buildings. I checked it in several dictionaries and that is the definition i find. However, in this sentence it seems to mean something related to an illness. :confused: Can anybody help me?

My attempt to translate it:
A mi amigo Pablo le diagnosticaron asbesto y está internado.

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My friend Paul was diagnosed with asbestos and he is in hospital now.
A mi amigo Paúl le diagnosticaron contaminación por asbesto (asbestosis) y ahora está hospitalizado.
Asbestosis: enfermedad respiratoria por inhalación de fibras de asbesto.

There is such thing as Asbestos Disease or Asbestosis, as mentioned above (asbestosis in Spanish). Hope it helps. http://www.asbestosresource.com/disease/

asbestosis is prpbably the condition. Friend may not know terms.
The effects of long-term exposure to asbestos typically don't show up for at least 20 to 30 years after initial exposure, and sometimes longer. Signs and symptoms develop when damage and scarring caused by the asbestos fibers lead to stiffness in your lung tissue so that your lungs can't contract and expand normally (a form of pulmonary fibrosis). Once exposure to asbestos is stopped, however, the fibrosis stops progressing in the majority of cases.
Some asbestosis symptoms include:

* Shortness of breath, initially only with exertion, but eventually even while resting
* Decreased tolerance for physical activity
* Coughing
* Chest pain
* Finger deformity (clubbing) in some cases

Although most of these signs and symptoms are similar to those of other breathing disorders, such as asthma, the way in which they develop is different. In asbestosis the effects of the disease occur over months and years.

When I lived in Colombia Asbestos was everywhere as it was combined with cement to make the ubiquitous tejas used in much of home construction and in tuberia de acuaducto. It usually is only a danger when it is airborne (like after being cut with a saw). The particles can remain in the environment and in the lungs for many years.

Thank you all!
Your answers were very helpful.

Kind regards,


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