It isn’t easy for foreign matter to enter the lungs. As a matter of fact, the nose and the bronchi act as filters and are able to stop most particles before they even gets close to one’s lungs. But because asbestos fibers are thin, needle-like, and microscopic, they are able to penetrate the filters and make their way into the lungs, where they usually lodge in the lining of the lung, known as the pleura.

The presence of asbestos in the lungs eventually causes scarring or “fibrosis,” which may later result in the formation of tumors and the development of cancer.