The Connection Between Lung Cancer and Asbestos

The connection between lung cancer and asbestos was demonstrated as long ago as the 1950s, when this hazardous construction material was in widespread use, but its dangers had been suspected since the 1930s.

Asbestos is not a single material, but refers to a number of minerals that occur naturally as bundles of fibres. Because these fibres are resistant to heat, chemicals and electricity, they were popular choices for the construction industry, for creating well insulated homes that were believed to be safer. Asbestos was used for a number of applications, from building ships and vehicles to home and garden products, including ceiling and floor tiles and insulation.

Exposure to asbestos can have devastating long term consequences for individuals and their families, with diseases such as mesothelioma often taking many years or even decades to manifest. Lung cancer usually requires a heavier and regular exposure to asbestos, and can occur anywhere in the lungs.

Lung cancer is the most common form of cancer worldwide, accounting for 40,000 deaths per annum in the UK alone. Although cigarette smoking is the single biggest cause of lung cancer - around 90 per cent of cases - the number of claims for asbestos related lung cancer is increasing, particularly as awareness of asbestos as a causal factor becomes greater.

In the case of people who both smoke and were exposed to asbestos, lung cancer may be erroneously attributed to one factor or the other, though the risk of developing lung cancer from smoking increases dramatically if someone is also exposed to asbestos - from 10.85 per cent to 53.24 per cent.

This growing awareness of the link between asbestos and lung cancer has been aided by a number of high profile asbestos claims being made in recent years by individuals against companies that used the material in building construction. Although asbestos is no longer used in the UK, it is still widely used in the developing world, and there are still many buildings constructed in previous decades in Britain that contain asbestos, as demolition greatly increases the risk of spores becoming airborne.

Everyone is exposed to asbestos in some degree throughout their lives, due to its presence in the air, water and soil, however these quantities are not usually large enough for medical problems to develop. People who lived in houses where asbestos was prevalent, or worked in the construction industry while asbestos was still in use, are at the highest risk of lung cancer and other illnesses.

Bruce Giles writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.