A while ago, I posted a series of stories from an interview with Rear Adm. Phil Coady (ret.) the Chairman of the Board of the Lung Cancer Alliance. In the interview, he talked about pulmonary fibrosis. Since that time, I’ve had several people wondering if pulmonary fibrosis is connected to asbestos or mesothelioma.

The American Lung Association explains that pulmonary fibrosis is also called interstitial pulmonary fibrosis or interstitial lung disease (ILD). These three terms are often used to describe the same condition.

ILD is not lung cancer; it is a chronic lung disorder. ILD involves a thickening of the lung tissue, which becomes stiff and makes breathing more difficult and demanding. ILD can take many forms, and may progress slowly or rapidly, depending on the individual and the nature of the ILD.

The Lung Association reports that the common link in ILD is that it begins with inflammation, which may affect different parts of the lung. Inflammation may lead to permanent scarring of the lung tissue, which is often called pulmonary fibrosis. The interstitum is the tissue between the lung’s air sacs. Scarring begins in this area, which lends the condition its formal name.

Known causes of pulmonary fibrosis include occupational and environmental exposures, including exposure to asbestos, which can damage the lungs and cause scarring (fibrosis).

Other possible causes include a disease called Sarcoidosis, side effects of medication, radiation, connective tissue or collagen diseases, or genetic predisposition, which is not as common. The familial form of the disease is often called familial idiopathic (of unknown origin) pulmonary fibrosis.

When I spoke with Admiral Coady, he mentioned that he did have a family history of pulmonary fibrosis. He knew that his family history, combined with his exposure to asbestos while serving in the Navy, put him at greater risk for the disease, and was vigilant about early screening. He did eventually develop the condition. Sadly, he also later developed lung cancer, although not mesothelioma.

Some ILD improves with medication if treated when inflammation occurs, and some people also need oxygen therapy as part of their treatment.

I hope this answers the questions and clears up any confusion. While pulmonary fibrosis is not related to mesothelioma, it could be considered an asbestos-related disease.

Public Justice recently filed suit in federal and California state courts against CBS Broadcasting, Inc., Planet Toys, Inc., and several retail manufacturers in response to their production and marketing of CSI toy kits containing asbestos. Asbestos has been linked to mesothelioma, a deadly lung cancer, as well as other cancers, asbestosis and pulmonary fibrosis.

CBS licenses the toy, which is based on its popular CSI: Crime Scene Investigation ™ television program. Planet Toys is the manufacturer.

According to a Public Justice press release, the federal complaint, filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, alleges that CBS and Planet Toys were negligent in their quality control measures and that they promoted the CSI toys although they contained a hazardous and potentially lethal carcinogen.

In November 2007, the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) released results of a study of a number of products, including the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation ™ Fingerprint Examination Kit. It was found that the CSI toy’s fingerprinting powder contained asbestos. The fingerprinting powder containing asbestos also can be found in related CSI toy kits, the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation ™ Field Kit and the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation ™ Forensic Lab Kit.

The story was covered in the news media, including CNN, in December 2007. On Feb. 21 CNN did a follow-up report and noted that the Planet Toys had not yet issued a recall.

Public Justice reports that in a meeting including representatives from ADAO, CBS and Planet toys in December 2007, CBS and Planet Toys agreed to remove some of the toys from store shelves, and to work with Public Justice to further test the toys. However, Public Justice reports that months later, there has been no joint testing, Planet Toys continues to deny the products contain asbestos, and there has been no recall.

The Public Justice press release quotes Linda Reinstein, executive director of ADAO, who says, “Our pleas for the companies to do the right thing have fallen on deaf ears. It is unacceptable and unnecessary to have asbestos in toys, and especially in powder form, its most dangerous state. Most Americans falsely believe asbestos has been banned, but our recent product testing results prove asbestos remains a threat to public health.”

The federal complaint is a class action suit that asks the defendants to “provide refunds to consumers, pay for asbestos testing of toys that have been opened, and pay for appropriate medical treatment for consumers who have been exposed to asbestos,” according to the release. The state lawsuit “seeks civil penalties for violations of the law, in addition to injunctive relief.

Read the full text of the Public Justice press release here. This site also contains links to the federal and California state complaints.

Public Justice is a membership-supported law firm with more than 3,500 members, comprised of trial lawyers, other attorneys, and public interest advocates worldwide.

ADAO is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the mission of “asbestos awareness, education, advocacy, prevention, support and a cure.”

Operating under the tagline “No More Excuses. No More Lung Cancer,” the Lung Cancer Alliance (LCA), a relatively new organization based in Washington, D.C., is working to remove the sigma from lung cancer and secure significant funding to fight the deadliest form of cancer.

Chairman Coady’s story

Leading the charge for the organization is Rear Admiral Phil Coady, U.S. Navy (Ret.), who serves as chairman of the board of directors. A career Navy officer, Coady was diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer in early 2005. He underwent surgery to remove the affected lobe and went through chemotherapy. In late 2005, the cancer recurred with metasteses to his bones. Chemotherapy has been successful in slowing the advance of the cancer for the past two years, and Coady is fighting for other lung cancer survivors.

Although Coady doesn’t suffer from mesothelioma, he is very much aware of the risks posed by asbestos. His work during his time in the Navy very often put him in contact with the substance, he said, and seven of his friends died from mesothelioma since his retirement.

In addition, for 10 years following his retirement, Coady worked as president of the Navy Mutual Aid Association, a non-profit veterans benefit group and life insurance service, where he saw what he thought was a disproportionate amount of lung cancer deaths.

He notes that shipboard service in the Navy, particularly during the years he served, routinely involved exposure to asbestos, second hand smoke and other possible carcinogens. Veterans also were at risk from exposure to chemicals such as Agent Orange, sulfur mustard gas, and other battlefield combustion products.

“I had heavy exposure to asbestos in the Navy,” he says. “I spent a lot of my time as an engineer on ships. In the 1960s there were no precautions about asbestos that I recall at all. We tore out asbestos with hand tools. A dust mask might have been our most aggressive protection.”

With a family history of pulmonary fibrosis, a chronic scarring of the lungs, Coady always had his asbestos exposure in the back of his mind in relation to his health, and had regular CT scans to check for the disease, which he did eventually develop as a result of his exposure. Then, in 2005, the scans also showed lung cancer.

“Ironically, it was really my concern about asbestos that probably saved my life,” Coady said, crediting his regular screenings with catching his cancer early.

Next: The stigma of lung cancer