What About Asbestos?

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Asbestos is a material that was and is, to a lesser degree, used in a wide variety of industries and consumer products. Similar to tobacco, it has been known to cause human disease for many years. Also, similar to tobacco, the asbestos industry has been shown to have known about the carcinogenicity of asbestos for many years before this information was released to the public. Like tobacco, the asbestos industry has been taken to court for their role in causing pulmonary fibrosis, mesothelioma and lung cancer, and concealing information, including industry sponsored research results, from the public and the scientific community.

Asbestos workers have a high incidence of a malignant disease of the pleural cavity called mesothelioma, which is distinct from lung cancer, and for which there is no good treatment at this time.

Persons exposed to asbestos who also smoke, have a very high incidence of lung cancer. The two substances appear to act as co-carcinogens.

There is excellent information on this topic atThe Lung Cancer Resource Center: American Cancer Society