What are pleural plaques?
Pleural plaques are areas of scar tissue on the pleura. The pleura is a two-layered membrane surrounding the lungs and lining the inside of the rib cage. In virtually all instances of pleural plaques there are no symptoms and you can live with them without having any long-term problems with your health.
If you have pleural plaques, it does not mean that:
- you will go on to get a more serious disease
- you have a more serious disease at the moment
- you are likely to get a serious disease in the future.
While exposure to asbestos does carry a risk of developing a serious lung disease, such as asbestosis, mesothelioma or lung cancer, scientific evidence shows that having a pleural plaque does not increase that risk. Pleural plaques are not the same as asbestosis and they are not a pre-malignant form of cancer.
How do people get pleural plaques?
Pleural plaques are caused by exposure to asbestos at some time in the past. This may be occupational exposure – in plumbers, electricians, building workers, gas fitters, carpenters – or may be in people doing DIY.
How can people find out if they have pleural plaques?
Generally, pleural plaques are visible on a chest x-ray or CT scan. They cause no symptoms and people live with them for years without knowing they have them.
Should people be screened for pleural plaques?
No. If you have been exposed to asbestos and have no chest problems, there is no need to have either a chest x-ray or a CT scan. The risk associated with exposure to x-rays or a CT scan is far greater than the benefits of finding out that you have pleural plaques.
Do people need treatment for pleural plaques?
No. If you have been exposed to asbestos, but have no symptoms, such as breathlessness, there is no need to have any treatment. If you develop a cough which lasts a long time (more than three weeks) or you cough up blood, it is important to see your doctor straight away. Although these are not symptoms of pleural plaques, it may mean that you have a different, more serious, illness.
Does anyone die from having pleural plaques?
No.
Do people need an operation?
No. There is no need to treat pleural plaques in any way.
Pleural plaques and smoking
If you have pleural plaques and smoke, it is advisable to seek help to quit. By quitting smoking you will reduce your chances of developing a smoking-related lung disease, such as COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) or lung cancer.
What are the other diseases associated with exposure to asbestos?
Diffuse pleural thickening: Occasionally, the pleural fibrosis or scarring is more extensive than that seen with simple pleural plaques, covering a larger area. When this happens, expansion of the lungs may be restricted and the result is breathlessness.
Asbestosis: Asbestos fibres you have breathed in may get lodged inside the lungs and cause scarring. The scarring leads to the lungs shrinking and getting stiff, which results in breathlessness. Asbestosis usually develops in people who have breathed in a large amount of asbestos dust in the course of their work. It takes a long time to show itself as a problem – often 10 to 30 years after you have been exposed to asbestos. Please contact the British Lung Foundation for more information on asbestosis.
Mesothelioma: This is an uncommon malignant tumour on the lining of the lung or very occasionally on the lining of the abdominal cavity. There are about 2,300 new cases per year in the UK. The likelihood of developing mesothelioma increases with the degree and the length of time exposed to asbestos. Occasionally, however, it may occur in people who have not worked with asbestos but have been associated with people who have. If you would like to know more about mesothelioma, please contact the British Lung Foundation.
Lung cancer: Exposure to asbestos increases the risk of developing lung cancer. A very important point is that asbestos exposure increases the risk of lung cancer in smokers. Fortunately, this means that people who have been exposed to asbestos can greatly reduce the risk of lung cancer by not smoking. The British Lung Foundation provides further information on lung cancer in booklets, leaflets, online and over the phone.
Diagram of the lungs
Can people with pleural plaques get financial compensation?
People who have symptomatic asbestos-related diseases can usually take action for compensation (damages) against the employer who exposed them to asbestos, or their insurer. For people who have difficulty in tracing their previous employer, there will be a new UK-wide Employers’ Liability Tracing Office.
Those people can also apply to the Benefits Agency for industrial injuries benefits if you have one of the conditions known as ‘prescribed diseases’. These are:
- asbestosis
- bilateral diffuse pleural thickening
- lung cancer accompanied by asbestosis or bilateral diffuse pleural thickening
- mesothelioma
In the past it was also possible for people with pleural plaques to take action. This may still be possible in Scotland. It is no longer possible in other parts of the UK although, under a UK Government scheme, a special payment of £5,000 is available for people if they had already started, but not resolved, a legal claim in England and Wales before 17 October 2007. Applications under the Government scheme should have been submitted by 1 August 2011. There is a telephone helpline for anyone who wishes to make an enquiry about the scheme, and the number is 0300 303 8150
Where can people go for further advice and support?
Further information is available from the British Lung Foundation.
Helpline: 03000 030 555 (open Monday to Friday, 10am to 6pm and calls are charged at local rate).
The BLF Helpline also has a call-back service. Just complete the form at lunguk.org/callback and you’ll get a call back within two hours. Don’t worry if you aren’t in or can’t come to the phone when the helpline calls, as its advisers will try to call three times.
Post: British Lung Foundation (Helpline), 73–75 Goswell Road, London EC1V 7ER. All letters are responded to within four working days of receipt.
Code: FL34 Version: 1.0
Last medically reviewed: May 2011
Due for medical review: May 2013
