The most common symptoms are shortness of breath persistent dry cough chest tightness or chest pain weight loss from loss of appetite a dry crackling sound in the lungs while breathing in wider and rounder than normal fingertips and toes clubbing. Asbestosis signs and symptoms may include shortness of breath a persistent dry cough loss of appetite with weight loss fingertips and toes that appear wider and rounder than normal clubbing chest tightness or pain. Asbestosis symptoms commonly include high blood pressure shortness of breath chest pain weight loss. In most cases symptoms dont start to appear until approximately 20 years in the range of 10 to 40 years after exposure to asbestos common symptoms of asbestosis include shortness of breath