Asbestos Lung Cancer

Asbestos has been linked to cancers other than mesothelioma. In particular, there is an increased risk of contracting lung cancer for people who have been exposed to asbestos. Lung cancer caused by asbestos exposure is often referred to asbestos lung cancer.

Lung cancer is most notably connected with cigarette smoking. However, asbestos cancer attorneys cite medical documents showing that asbestos is, likewise, a potent lung carcinogen, especially when combined with cigarette smoking. This information is very important for people who have a history of asbestos exposure and have been diagnosed with lung cancer or have shown early symptoms of lung cancer.

Studies have shown that when asbestos fibers and cigarette smoke are inhaled into the lungs, a synergistic effect occurs that multiplies the risk of each carcinogen in bringing about lung cancer. Asbestos, on its own, is related to a significantly high amount of cancer diagnoses, including mesothelioma, but, coupled with cigarette smoking, asbestos often yields exponential cancer growth. Some of the most comprehensive studies on the subject of the effects of smoking and asbestos lung cancer were conducted in the 1960s and 1970s by the late Dr. Irving Selikoff of Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City.

OSHA has stated that: “Of all the diseases caused by asbestos, lung cancer constitutes the greatest health risk for American asbestos workers. Lung cancer has been responsible for more than half of the excess mortality from asbestos exposure in some occupational cohorts.”¹

Under well-established criteria, a substantial occupational history of asbestos exposure provides a sufficient basis to assign a causative role to asbestos in the causation of a person’s lung cancer.

The early symptoms of asbestos lung cancer are similar to the pleural mesothelioma symptoms: a recurring cough, shortness of breath, and blood in the phlegm (hemoptysis). The methods used to diagnose it are also similar to mesothelioma diagnosis techniques, with the only difference being that lung tissue, rather than pleural tissue, is taken for pathological examination to determine if asbestos lung cancer is present.

ATTENTION: If you or your loved one has been diagnosed with asbestos lung cancer or mesothelioma, we encourage you to speak to one of our experienced asbestos lawyers via our 24/7 toll-free hotline at 1-800-MESOLAW (1-800-637-6529) or by submitting an email inquiry (see form above). Our attorneys will be quick to respond to you and happy to answer all of your questions.

¹ Federal Register, Vol. 51, No. 119, Friday, June 20, 1986, Rules and regulations, pg. 22615.