While the most common cause of lung cancer is smoking, another concern is asbestos lung cancer, which is caused by the deadly fibers victims inadvertently inhaled when asbestos was present in their environment — often decades earlier.

Medical researchers first discovered evidence of this link in 1935, after noticing different symptoms of asbestos lung cancer compared to typical lung cancer.

Seven years later, a member of the National Cancer Institute declared that asbestos could cause lung cancer. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) declared asbestos lung cancer an official risk from exposure in 1986 after noticing a disturbing trend of rising mesothelioma, asbestosis, and certain lung cancers.

Mesothelioma is another form of cancer that is caused by asbestos exposure, but attacks different areas of the lungs.

Asbestos is a fibrous material used in numerous construction projects and manufacturing throughout the United States. It is 700 times smaller than a human hair, and grew in popularity for its chemical and flammable resistant qualities.

At the peak of its popularity in the 1920s, asbestos was used in Navy shipping yards, the U.S. Army, automobiles, building materials, and other similar purposes. Veterans and former construction workers were the most likely victims of asbestos lung cancer and mesothelioma.

When first inhaled, the asbestos fibers become lodged in the lungs, and in more extreme cases, the stomach. They stay there for a number of years, with the asbestos fibers attaching to the lungs due to their jagged structure.

After a certain amount of time, the fibers cause irritation and cell damage that results in the formation of a tumor. Medical experts state that it will depend on the patient’s health, genetics, personal habits, and duration of exposure to determine if the patient will suffer from mesothelioma or asbestos lung cancer.

Doctors estimate that the asbestos tumors will start developing after 10 years of exposure, but will take between 20 and 30 years to show  symptoms.

Overview of Asbestos Lung Cancer Concerns

Because both mesothelioma and asbestos lung cancer are diagnosed at such a latent stage, the average survival rate of asbestos lung cancer patients is between 16 and 22 months.

Asbestos lung cancer is a devastating condition with few options for the patient. The number of asbestos-related injury reports keep rising.

Because the cancer is so often tied to workplace exposure and the lack of protections afforded the workers, many victims and their families have filed legal asbestos cancer lawsuits against manufacturing companies that  used asbestos as well as former employers.

Asbestos injury litigation became the longest-running mass tort in the history of the United States with over 600,000 plaintiffs and 6,000 defendants.