ASBESTOSIS LUNG CANCER

Link exists between asbestosis and lung cancer, says American Cancer Society

October 11, 2010 – Approximately one in seven workers who contracts asbestosis through work-related exposure to asbestos eventually develops lung cancer, according to the American Cancer Society.

The more prolonged the exposure to asbestos – as is the case with career tradesmen in the construction and automotive industries – the greater the risk of developing asbestos-linked lung cancer.

All four main types of commercially used asbestos – chrysotile, amosite, anthophyllite, and mixtures containing crocidolite – are associated with an increased risk of lung cancer, say medical authorities.

National estimates of asbestos-linked lung cancer deaths range from 5,000 to 10,000 per year, according to the EWG Action Fund, a nonprofit environmental research group headquartered in Washington, D.C.

People who work with asbestos have a greater risk of developing lung cancer, which is just one of several potentially lethal diseases associated with occupational asbestos exposure.

Smoking aggravates asbestos disease

Worksite inhalation of airborne asbestos fibers was proven to cause lung cancer as early as 1925, according to the American Cancer Society; and if asbestos-exposed workers smoke, their risk of developing lung cancer is greatly increased.

Individuals exposed to asbestos – whether they smoke or not – also have a greater risk of developing another type of cancer that starts in the lining of the lungs called mesothelioma. Strictly speaking, mesothelioma is an asbestos-related disease, and it is not caused by cigarette smoking alone, like other forms of lung cancer.

Evidence suggests that workers who quit smoking can reduce their risk of developing lung cancer by as much as 50 percent within 5 years of quitting, says the National Cancer Institute.

Weitz & Luxenberg law firm

If you worked with asbestos-containing materials at any time, and have been diagnosed with asbestosis, lung cancer or mesothelioma, you may be eligible to receive compensation for lost wages, medical bills and suffering. For a free case review with no obligations, please contact Weitz & Luxenberg today through the communication form on this page.