Asbestos Cancer
Posted on Tuesday, June 14th, 2016 at 10:48 am
Asbestos cancers
Asbestos cancer is any cancer related to asbestos exposure. Asbestos cancer is caused by the inhaling and/or swallowing of asbestos fibers in large quantities over time. Most people believe that the only forms of asbestos cancers are mesothelioma and asbestosis. However, there are many other types of asbestos cancers related to asbestos exposure.
For example, lung cancer can be directly caused by asbestos exposure. Other studies suggest that there is a link between asbestos exposure and other cancers. This can be said to be true if one considers the statistics that approximately half of all occupational cancers are caused by asbestos.
Asbestos Cancer – Warning Sign
In a study of one thousand and forty seven (1047) asbestos industrial workers, the following were listed as official causes of death for two hundred and eight (208) workers:
- Malignant tumor
- Respiratory cancer (in the bronchus, trachea and/or lungs)
- Cancer in the digestive organs
- Cancer in the peritoneum
- Cancer in the lining of the abdomen
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) estimated annual asbestos related deaths as follows:
- Asbestos related gastrointestinal cancer 1200
- Asbestosis 1398
- Mesothelioma 2509
- Asbestos related lung cancer 4800
According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), the above four cancers claimed as many as two hundred and thirty thousand (230000) lives between 1979 and 2001.
It is said that between five and seven percent of occupational asbestos exposure are lung cancer cases in the United States. Unlike mesothelioma, lung cancer has risks related to smoking. The risk of lung cancer is increased among smokers who have been exposed to asbestos in the past. The effects of lung cancer and smoking have the negative effect of drastically weakening the lungs.
Asbestos cancer types
Some cancers associated with asbestos exposure are:
- Gastrointestinal cancer
- Prostate cancer
- Leukemia
- Colorectal cancer
- Gallbladder cancer
- Kidney cancer
- Breast cancer
- Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
- Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma