• Asbestosis or fibrosis (scarring) of the lungs which leads progressively to difficulty in breathing and can lead in several cases to death
• Lung cancer, which is impossible to differentiate from cancers caused by other agents such as tobacco smoke
• Mesothelioma, an otherwise a rare cancer which affects the external lining of the lungs (pleura) or stomach cavities (peritoneum).

The largest high-risk group are construction workers such as carpenters, electricians, plumbers, gas fitters and cabling installers. This is because buildings built in the 1950s up to 70s used a large amount of asbestos materials for insulation and fire protection purposes. Even as recent as 1980s asbestos could be found in building material such as ceiling panels and other products where suppliers were using up their old asbestos stock.