Asbestos Is a Deadly Risk, Even at Lowest Levels

January 21, 2014- A recent study suggests that industrial workers are at the lowest levels of the asbestos exposure spectrum may still be at risk for laryngeal cancer, lung cancer and mesothelioma.

The study is based upon data from the Netherlands Cohort Study of 58,279 Norwegian men between 55 and 69 years old. Highlights follow, as reported in the Asbestos News Roundup Blog:

• Participants' job histories were compared against asbestos-exposure matrices of various occupations to predict the likelihood of their exposure levels.

• Over 17.3 years, there were 132 cases of mesothelioma, 2,324 cases of lung cancer, and 166 cases of laryngeal cancer. Only two cancer subtypes (lung adenocarcinoma and glottis cancer) were associated with higher levels of prolonged asbestos exposure. Though rare, mesothelioma is the most deadly of asbestos-linked cancers due to its fast progression and resistance to treatment.

• The study showed that even lower levels of asbestos exposure were enough to trigger mesothelioma and all other categories of lung and laryngeal cancer. Lower levels may also be related to increased risk of pleural mesothelioma, lung cancer, and laryngeal cancer.

• According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), any level of asbestos exposure is potentially risky. They recommend that do-it-yourself home renovators hire asbestos abatement professionals to minimize mesothelioma risk.

Read the full LawyersandSettlements.com post here. The abstract of the original study is available here. 

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