OTHER RELATED DISEASES
Lung Cancer, Asbestosis and Other Types of Cancers
Exposure to asbestos can cause diseases other than mesothelioma as well. Lung cancer has been clearly linked to asbestos exposure by the medical literature for decades. Studies have shown that workers exposed to asbestos develop lung cancer at three to four times the rate of workers who were not exposed. Many studies have shown that the combination of smoking and asbestos exposure is particularly hazardous. Smokers who are also exposed to asbestos have a risk of developing lung cancer that is greater than the individual risks from asbestos and smoking added together. There is evidence that quitting smoking will reduce the risk of lung cancer in asbestos-exposed workers. Smoking plays no role, however, in the development of mesothelioma.
In addition to mesothelioma and lung cancer, some studies have suggested an association between asbestos exposure and gastrointestinal and colorectal cancers, as well as an elevated risk for cancers of the throat, kidney, esophagus and gallbladder.
Asbestos exposure also causes certain non-malignant diseases. Asbestosis, a chronic lung disease that can cause shortness of breath, coughing, and permanent lung damage, develops from scarring in the lungs which occurs as a result of asbestos exposure. Pleural diseases caused by asbestos exposure affect the internal lining of the chest cavity called the pleura. These include pleural thickening and pleural plaques. Although these diseases are not necessarily precursors to lung cancer, evidence suggests that people with pleural disease caused by asbestos exposure may be at increased risk for lung cancer.
Click here to learn more about how asbestos exposure causes disease.
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