The Workplace Killer

Lung cancer sufferers continue to miss out on substantial financial help because its link with asbestos exposure is being missed. Each year more than 43,000 people are diagnosed with lung cancer in the UK with the Health & Safety Executive estimating that deadly asbestos dust causes only about 2,500 of that total.

However The National Asbestos Helpline believes that the number is significantly higher and research has found a clear connection between high levels of asbestos dust exposure and the risk of lung cancer. It can sometimes be difficult to attribute lung cancer to asbestos and where the sufferer is a smoker it’s often assumed smoking is the cause. Smoking is wrongly regarded as the

only cause of lung cancer.

While smoking remains the largest cause of lung cancer, smokers who have been exposed to high amounts of asbestos dust are at a much greater risk. The two toxins, tobacco and asbestos, work together to multiply the danger.

Jan Garvey, a spokesperson for the National Asbestos Helpline, says:

“We want health professionals and people to be aware that asbestos can also cause lung cancer, as well as smoking.” Patients need to consider whether they have ever been exposed to asbestos dust and tell their doctors about exposure.

“Smokers should not assume tobacco is the cause of their lung cancer if they have been exposed to asbestos dust within the past 10 to 50 years. Medical staff also need to consider whether the patient has been exposed to asbestos dust.”

To consider whether lung cancer may have been caused by asbestos it is necessary to explore the patient’s work history. For tradesmen, manual workers and engineers, asbestos exposure at work will have been inevitable during the past 60 years due to its widespread use in industry, construction and manufacturing.

“It could make all the difference

to their level of care and for making provision for their family’s future. Government benefits and compensation

are available to help victims of the deadly