asbestos & brake shoes

[dranderhilt81]

I am a 25 year old male, and for the last year I have been having chest pains.  It's on the daily basis and the pain varies on where it hits.  I have never been good at describing pain, such as sharp, dull etc.., but I do believe it is getting a bit worse.

To give some background.  I have ate poorly for most of my life, so when I had the pain I checked the dcotor for heart problems.  I have had a blood test done, urine test, that echo test(they send sound or something through your chest) and I have had x-rays.  So far the only thing we've found out is that I have a low iron level, so I am still going for more tests.

However, there is another piece of the puzzle that I should mention.  For four years, I was working with brake shoes, and I was told that they don't use asbestos, nowadays.  But I am not a 100% trusting of the source of this info, and
I don't know how old those brake shoes are.  I did wear a mask sometimes, but othertimes they didn't have them.  I did some research and went back to the doctor to book a lung test.  He told me that it won't show up until at least 20 years.
But I forgot to ask him some questions, so I was wondering if you could give me some information before my next appointment.

Is there something I can do to find out what's causing my pain? Or at least narrow down the possibilities.
Can asbestos affect me after four years if I had a lot of exposure to it?
In layman's terms, what else could be causing this?
thx for any help.

[dranderhilt81]

Gary,

Thanks for the information.  Verifying that brakes shoes rarely/almost never use asbestos, does help me.

In my last message though,  I misspoke/typed.  The doctor said  that the effects from asbestos, such as cancer, don't show up for at least twenty years.  As far as the lung test,  he did say that it would help me to find out the condition of my lungs.  

anyway, thanks for the help, and I hope everything goes well for you.

  

[SkinnyGary]

Dranderhilt81,

I was a diesel mechanic for 30 years and worked with brake and clutch dust a lot. It is true that asbestos is seldom if ever used.

I don't believe that would be a cause of chest pains although I'm no doctor. I do know it can and will cause shortness of breath if you breath enough of it in. Along with all the cleaners and solvents used in that type of industry. Also smoking doest help.

When your doctor said a lung test won't show anything for 20 years that is wrong. A(PFT) pulmonary function test will show how well your lungs are operating.

I was (SOB) short of breath for more than 10 years before I had one, By then more damage had been done. I was finally diagnosed with Alpha-1. Had I known earlier I would be in much better shape now and not be looking at a lung transplant. I wish I could give you answers to your chest pain but I can't. Good luck with your docs.

Gary