Asbestos exposure used to be commonplace among manual workers in the UK. Although its import and use has been banned since the 1980s, the long latent period between exposure and onset of symptoms, means that the incidence of asbestos-related diseases has not yet peaked. The number of deaths attributable to asbestos exposure is expected to continue to rise for at least the next 5–10 years. For these reasons, knowledge of the various asbestos-related diseases is required by GPs. This article aims to describe the presenting features of these diseases and provides an outline of how they are usually managed in secondary care.
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