Asbestos lung cancer is a rare form of cancer. There are roughly 4,800 deaths per year that are associated with asbestos lung cancer, which would represent approximately 4% of United States’ deaths to cancer located in the lungs.

In the year 1935, researchers made their first correlation between lung cancer and asbestos exposure. Several studies thereafter showed the strong correlation of asbestos lung cancer risk.

According to The Mesothelioma Center at Asbestos.com, the OSHA, or Occupational Safety and Health Administration, in 1986 addressed that for Americans who work with asbestos, they are exposed to a much greater risk of developing lung cancer.

Moreover, asbestos lung cancer risk has a long latency period of development. Symptoms of the cancer and asbestos exposure take several decades to develop. However, the asbestos lung cancer risk may only take a few months to spread to other organs in the body.

Asbestos lung cancer can typically take between 15 and 35 years to develop after an individual experiences asbestos exposure. It’s also been shown that the level of exposure and co-carcinogens such as cigarettes influence the speed of cancer development.

Asbestos Lung Cancer Risk History and Facts

Since the 1800s, North American industries have used asbestos, a naturally occurring mineral, for commercial purposes. It is now labeled a human carcinogen.

Asbestos lung cancer risk and exposure occurs when someone physically disrupts a product that contains asbestos. When this occurs, asbestos microscopic fibers are released into the air. An individual can inhale the fibers and they can become entrapped in the person’s lungs.

The fibers accumulate over time and they cause inflammation, scarring, and other serious adverse effects. The fibers then can increase an individual’s asbestos lung cancer risk.

Researchers report that the longer a person is exposed to asbestos, the greater the asbestos lung cancer risk. According to asbestos.com, with each passing year of exposure to asbestos, the risk of developing lung cancer increases by an average of 4%. Additionally, with an increased amount of asbestos fibers, there further occurs a higher risk for developing lung cancer.

When an individual is first exposed to asbestos, the symptoms of asbestos exposure may not be obvious. Moreover, the placement of where the asbestos fibers are lodged depends on the size of the asbestos fiber, and this has an impact on whether lung cancer develops. Smaller fibers may lodge in the lining around the lungs, and larger fibers may lodge in the lungs themselves.

After several years, these fibers cause inflammation, irritation and cellular damage that can cause tumor formation. Several factors will determine whether a person will develop lung cancer. Some of these factors include a person’s genetics, general health, and the frequency, duration, and concentration of asbestos exposure.

Workers in certain professions are more likely to experience asbestos lung cancer risk. These professions include auto mechanics, construction workers, insulation installer, roofers, tilers, paper mill workers, textile workers, sheet metal workers, toll collectors and linotype technicians.