Asbestos and benign pleural diseases: a narrative review

The term "asbestos" is used to refer to a group of silicate minerals that often break down into fibres and whose inhalation over time can cause a number of diseases, especially pleuropulmonary diseases. While the most serious complications are malignant diseases, inhalation of these fibres can also cause benign pleural diseases such as round atelectasis, pleural plaques, diffuse pleural thickening and non-malignant asbestos pleural effusion. Although asbestos is banned in most developed countries (in the European Union, since 2002), it is still used in developing countries. Despite these restrictions, the prevalence of diseases due to inhalation remains high due to the long latency period between the onset of exposure and the onset of disease. In this paper we review benign pleural diseases induced by asbestos exposure, update the diagnostic criteria for these disorders, and describe the approaches suggested so far to differentiate them from malignant pleural diseases.