Things You Should Know About Asbestos Exposure and Cancer

Asbestos has been used for centuries and impacted the lives of millions of people. There’s far more than nine things to know about asbestos and cancer, but this is a start. The average American probably knows little or nothing about asbestos and the diseases it creates. Those dealing with mesothelioma and asbestos-caused cancers wish they’d never heard of it.

The M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, is affiliated with the University of Texas. It’s one of the world’s largest cancer centers and it recently published an article on asbestos and cancer.

What is Asbestos? How Might the Average Person Be Exposed to It?

Asbestos covers a group of six mineral fibers with properties that made them attractive to companies manufacturing thousands of products. Asbestos fibers are the following:

• Light
• Strong
• They don’t corrode
• They’re resistant to fire, heat, chemicals, and electricity

Asbestos is found in rocks and soil. The different fiber types include the following:

• Actinolite 
• Amosite 
• Anthophyllite 
• Chrysotile 
• Crocidolite
• Tremolite

The first documented use of asbestos dates back to the ancient Greeks, who used it in cloth. Over the years, asbestos has been used in about 3,000 products. Asbestos’ use in the US was largely regulated off the market in the late 1970s to early 1980s, though some limited uses are still allowed. Asbestos use is banned in 55 countries, but not in the US, Canada, India, China, or Russia, according to the Environmental Working Group.

In the US, asbestos was used in everything from brake pads and roof shingles, to flooring, insulation, electrical equipment, fireproofing, and floor tiles. Compared to post-WWII America, asbestos exposure is far less common. People are still being diagnosed with fatal asbestos-related cancers like pleural mesothelioma because it may take forty or more years between exposure and diagnosis of the condition.

What Can I Do to Reduce My Risk of Asbestos Exposure?

Asbestos fibers are incredibly durable, strong, and light. They can be liberated from asbestos-containing products when they’re installed, removed, cut, scratched, sanded, drilled into, or simply through deterioration with age. These fibers float through the air and will eventually settle on a surface, where they can be disturbed again or blown in the wind so they’re back into the air.

People can inhale or swallow these fibers without realizing it. They become stuck in various parts of the body, and the immune system tries and fails to destroy them. The result is scar tissue, inflammation, and, over long periods of time, cell mutations that can lead to different cancer types.

The average person’s risk of heavy asbestos exposure is very low. However, it may not take heavy exposure to cause mesothelioma decades after inhaling or swallowing fibers in the air. Those most at risk are firefighters, demolition workers at contaminated sites, mechanics working on brake pads, and those removing asbestos from old buildings.

What Are Asbestos-Related Cancers? 

Mesothelioma is the most common. It’s a fatal cancer of the linings of:

• Lungs
• Heart
• Chest cavity
• Abdominal cavity
• Abdominal organs

Diagnosis may be forty to fifty years after initial asbestos exposure. Other cancers include the following:

• Lung cancer
• Laryngeal cancer
• Ovarian cancer
• Some gastrointestinal cancers

Asbestosis is a non-cancerous asbestos-related disease caused by extensive scarring of the lungs which reduces the person’s ability to breathe. 

Are There Warning Signs or Symptoms of Asbestos Exposure?

No, but there are signs and symptoms of asbestos-related diseases. They can be in advanced stages before a person feels them, which makes them more difficult to treat.

How are Asbestos-Related Cancers Usually Diagnosed?

Mesothelioma and asbestos-related lung cancers usually are initially diagnosed with a chest X-ray after the person complains of chest pain, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, a persistent cough or other symptoms. That x-ray will probably result in additional tests, CT scans, extraction of chest fluid or surgical removal of tumors that are biopsied.

Why Does Asbestos Cause Cancer?

There are at least three theories:

• Chronic inflammation
• Changed cell signaling, or how our cells communicate with each other
• Free radicals, or unstable oxygen molecules, that damage cell DNA 

These are the most established theories, but the exact reasons asbestos fibers cause cancers are unknown.

Are There Unique Features That Help Identify Asbestos-Related Cancers?

Mesothelioma is caused by asbestos, so the features of that disease show it is asbestos-related. Otherwise, there is nothing definitive, and no unique cell mutations are related to asbestos. Asbestos fibers can be found in tumors. If so, it’s presumed the fibers played a role in causing them.

What’s the Most Important Thing to Know About Asbestos and Cancer?

Government regulation of asbestos has significantly decreased the incidence of asbestos-related diseases, including cancers. Understanding that there’s a link between asbestos and cancer (even if its precise nature is unknown) and acting on it by restricting or removing the source of asbestos exposure has been a highly effective strategy to prevent additional asbestos-related cancers.

Call Us Today for A Free Consultation

If you’re diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease, or a family member died of one, you may be entitled to compensation. To discuss your situation and how Satterley & Kelley, PLLC can help, call our Louisville office toll-free at 855-385-9532 or complete our contact form to schedule a free initial consultation.