Hazardous JobsINDEX...HOME Good Sites Exposure to asbestos fibers causes mesothelioma cancer. Mesothelioma can result from very small fibers or dust particles at low exposure levels. Most such exposure would likely have occurred prior to 1973, but the latency period can be up to 40 years for most lung cancer to develop. Many people have come into contact with asbestos fibers via their jobs, or occupational exposure. There is also a risk to the family members of those working in at-risk occupations; this exposure is called paraoccupational exposure. Likewise, people who live near sites likely to have asbestos around the facility are also at risk: refineries, power plants, factories, shipyards, steel mills and building demolition are types of work sites that can release asbestos fibers into the environment and contaminate nearby residential neighborhoods. Trades: Asbestos product manufacturing (insulation, roofing, building, materials) Automotive repair (brakes & clutches) Construction/contractors Maritime Miners Offshore rust removals Oil refineries Power plants Railroads Sand or abrasive manufacturers Shipyards / ships / ship builders Steel mills Tile cutters Occupations: Auto Mechanics Boiler makers Bricklayers Building Inspectors Carpenters Drywallers Electricians Floor Coverings Furnace Workers Glazers Grinders Hod carriers Insulators Iron workers Laborers Longshoremen Maintenance workers Merchant marines Millwrights Operating Engineers Painters Plasterers Plumbers Roofers Sand blasters Sheet metal workers Steam fitters Tile setters Welders U.S. Navy veterans Welders Many occupations have an increased risk for developing lung cancer. For example, asbestos insulation workers have 92 times the risk of developing of lung cancer, and smelter workers have 3-8 times the risk of developing lung cancer. The risk of lung cancer is also increased in people who work in the manufacturing of certain industrial gases, pharmaceuticals, soaps and detergents, paints, inorganic pigments, plastics, and synthetic rubber. The risk of developing lung cancer is related to the amount of exposure to the cancer-causing agent. For example, the risk of lung cancer in humans is proportional to the number of cigarettes smoked. The risk of developing lung cancer is 8-20 times greater in smokers compared to people who have never smoked. A smaller, but real risk exists for cigar and pipe smokers. Some cancer causing agents react together to significantly worsen the risk of developing cancer. The combined exposure to asbestos and tobacco smoke clearly multiplies the risk of developing lung cancer. The risk of lung cancer is greater for those living in urban areas. This risk is approximately 1.2 to 2.3 times that of people living in rural areas. There is also an increased risk of lung cancer in smokers whose close relatives have had lung cancer. Scarring in the lungs from previous infections or injury can be associated with and increased risk of cancer. |