Pleural plaques are best described as a thickening or hardening of the jelly-like covering around the lungs.<\/p>\n
When our lungs get irritated, our immune system develops a protein called collagen at the spot of the irritation. As more collagen builds up, it fills up the space in the lung’s lining (known as the pleura)<\/strong> until there’s so much collagen that it begins to harden.<\/p>\n In the case of pleural plaques, the irritation is usually caused by asbestos fibers<\/a> that have been breathed in or swallowed.<\/p>\n