Types of Cancers Caused by Asbestos

Asbestos exposure has been linked to several types of cancer, including:

• Mesothelioma
• Lung cancer
• Laryngeal (voice box) cancer
• Ovarian cancer
• Cancers of the throat, colon, rectum, and stomach

No matter your diagnosis, if there’s a connection between your cancer and asbestos, you may have a legal right to compensation for the harm you suffer. Satterley & Kelley, PLLC helps those affected by asbestos get the compensation they deserve.

What is Asbestos?

Asbestos is a group of naturally occurring, fibrous minerals, according to the American Cancer Society (ACA). They are found all over the world and consist mainly of silicon and oxygen.

There are three types of asbestos fibers, all of which have been linked to causing cancer.

Thousands of asbestos-containing products were made and sold for literally thousands of years due to their resistance to heat, fire, chemicals, and electricity. Asbestos fibers made excellent insulation, automotive parts, building materials, textiles, and hundreds of other products.

Their use greatly expanded during the Industrial Revolution, World War II, and the post-war building boom. Asbestos’ use and its dangers in the US slowly came under more scrutiny until it was largely regulated out of the market in the 1970s.

How Can I Be Exposed to Asbestos?

The main threat of exposure comes from either inhaling asbestos or swallowing it.

Fibers are incredibly light and small. When airborne, they may be too small to see and can stay in the air for a long time.

Asbestos-containing products are generally safe when they’re intact. Problems arise because fibers are liberated when products are installed, repaired, removed, or replaced. Fibers can come loose if a product is cut, torn, or sanded.

Inhaled fibers can reach into the lungs and penetrate the outer lung lining and chest wall (known as the pleura). Swallowed asbestos fibers enter the mouth and mix with saliva while airborne or be coughed up from the lungs after inhalation and swallowed.

Exposure is highest on work sites where asbestos products were installed or repaired, and no precautions against exposure are taken. Workers often returned home with clothing covered with fibers, exposing family members. Read more about common sources of asbestos exposure.

Types of Cancers Linked to Asbestos

Researchers have used two types of studies to determine that asbestos increases the risk of developing several types of cancers. They track the health outcomes of those exposed to asbestos and how the fibers affect lab animals or living cells involved in lab experiments.

Research on people exposed to asbestos shows:

• Lung cancer: All types of asbestos fibers are linked to a greater risk of lung cancer, with the danger increasing as the exposure to fibers increases and if the person smokes
• Mesothelioma: This cancer type most often affects the pleura and the thin linings surrounding the abdomen (peritoneum). Mesothelioma is closely linked with all kinds of asbestos. This can come from working with asbestos-containing products, being a family member of such a person, as well as living near asbestos mines or factories where these products were made
• Other cancer types: Though the strength of the evidence connecting asbestos to developing these cancers varies, links have been found to cancers of the larynx (voice box), ovaries, pharynx (throat), colon, rectum, and stomach

The following organizations have found that asbestos is a carcinogen (a substance causing cancer or helping it grow):

• The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), which is part of the United Nation’s World Health Organization (WHO)
• The federal National Toxicology Program (NTP), a program of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
• The federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Asbestos can also cause non-malignant conditions, including asbestosis (chronic difficulty breathing), pleural plaques (areas of hard, scar-like pleural tissue), pleural thickening, and pleural effusions (excessive fluid between the pleura and lungs). Someone experiencing these conditions may later develop lung cancer or pleural mesothelioma.

Why You Should Hire Satterley & Kelley, PLLC for Your Asbestos Case

If you’re diagnosed with mesothelioma or another asbestos-related cancer, you may be entitled to compensation for what you’ve endured. This includes physical and mental pain and suffering, financial costs, medical bills, and how the disease impacts your relationships.

You need a law firm with experience representing victims taking legal action against the asbestos industry. Satterley & Kelley, PLLC lawyers have helped asbestos victims for more than 25 years.

We have relationships with the best experts in the world to help us prove that asbestos caused your injury and the physical, emotional, psychological, and financial harm you suffered.

Our attorneys will give your case the full investigation it deserves. We never assume your case will settle, so we don’t take shortcuts. Satterley & Kelley, PLLC will carefully analyze the facts of your case and decide on and execute an effective strategy that can provide you with the most compensation possible.

Call Us Today For A Free Consultation

Satterley & Kelley, PLLC attorneys are here to help if you or someone you love has asbestos-related cancer. To reach our Louisville office, call 855-385-9532. You may also complete our contact form for a free initial consultation.