The first clue that something was wrong with Floyd Bryson's lungs came in 2001. He had grabbed a load of laundry and was out of breath before he reached the top of the stairs.

"I was the kind of guy who could lift anything he wanted," Bryson, 63, said of his work at the General Motors plant in Wentzville. "And here I was almost passing out from carrying laundry."

A few months later, Bryson got his lungs tested at a screening for asbestos diseases held at his union hall. The test disclosed asbestosis, a lung disease caused by asbestos exposure that can take decades to develop.

Bryson, of St. Peters, may have inhaled asbestos fibers decades earlier at the old GM plant on Goodfellow Boulevard.

The microscopic fibers were in dust that swirled at the plant when asbestos-coated pipes were repaired.

The screenings were arranged by the Edwardsville law firm of Goldenberg, Miller, Heller & Antognoli. The firm subsequently filed a suit on Bryson's behalf against General Motors and dozens of other companies. The suit was settled for an undisclosed amount of money.

Over 6 feet tall, and a sturdy 230 pounds, Bryson had prided himself on his health and dependability. He had been a standout high school athlete in his hometown of West Plains, Mo. He was an avid outdoorsman. Before he got asbestosis, he had had only two absences for illness in nearly four decades at GM.

The disease forced him to retire earlier this year, after 43 years with the automaker.

Bryson can speak only a few words at a time before pausing to catch his breath. He draws air in quick, shallow huffs punctuated by coughs.

Asbestosis has robbed Bryson's lungs of their elasticity.

Once inhaled, unless removed by coughing or the normal action of the lungs, the needle-sharp asbestos fibers can impale lung cells.



Was reluctant to sue



Bryson recalled when the Goldenberg firm began offering asbestos screenings to United Auto Workers at the GM plant in the late 1990s.

Bryson said he felt fine and did not get tested.

"I had never sued anyone in my life and wasn't going to start with GM; I raised a family on that job," he said.

Later, however, Bryson said he learned, "There were red flags that GM ignored. They knew about the asbestos problem a long time ago."

Bryson is trying to hold his illness at bay with a regimen that includes the drug gamma-interferon. Designed to slow down the progression of asbestosis, the drugs cost about $5,000 a month.

"Thank God for GM and UAW insurance. I pay $10 a month for the medicine," Bryson said.

In the long term, however, his best hope may be a lung transplant.

"The doctors say it might be the only thing I have. I've had family members who wanted to give me lungs, but I wouldn't do that.

"I've had a good life."