Pleural Plaques are described as calcified deposits on the surface of the lung, and are indicative of exposure to fibres in asbestos and take decades to form. They are sometimes viewed as less serious than other asbestos related diseases as they are not responsible for loss of lung capacity, injury to the respiratory tract or breathlessness. However they are indicative of an exposure to asbestos and therefore an increased risk of developing more serious illnesses such as mesothelioma.

In the majority pleural plaques cases, the patient retains their usual respiratory function, although plaques of sufficient size can impair lung capacity to some extent, although to a lesser impact than other conditions such as pleural fibrosis.

It is difficult to ascertain a figure for those suffering from pleural plaques as there is a great deal of uncertainty with factors such definition of pleural plaques cases, duration of follow up and the data sources, but taking into account these variation, it is estimated that between a third and half of those exposed to asbestos in the work place end up suffering from calcified pleural plaques thirty years after the exposure and an estimated 10% will experience uncalcified plaques twenty years after.

X-rays sometimes struggle to pick up plaques, as their sensitivity is unable to detect a plaque which is below a certain density. Therefore post-mortem is a more effective method when it comes to identifying pleural plaques in the lung.

Pipe fitters and insulators are just two professions where pleural plaques commonly occur and experts have learnt from past cases that the bigger the plaque the more likely it is to be calcified as increased fiber burden is characterised by larger plaques.

There are also cases where someone with no pleural plaques may still suffer with the same degree of fiber burden, as the development of plaques is dependent on the immune system of the individual, so just because plaques are not present it does not automatically mean there has been no asbestos exposure.

Exposure to asbestos at work may mean you are entitled to make an asbestos claim. To find out more visit our site where our asbestos law specialists share their knowledge.