Common Causes of Lung Cancer
There are a various risk factors that are linked to lung cancer.
The most common known causes are as follows:
Cigarette Smoking Cigarette smoking is probably the most closely
related link to developing lung cancer. A person who smokes two
packs or more of cigarettes per day has a one in seven chance of
developing lung cancer. Those that smoke one pack of cigarettes
per day have a twenty-five times greater chance of developing
lung cancer than a non-smoker. In addition, those people that
smoke a pipe or cigar have a five times greater chance of
developing lung cancer than a non-smoker.
The risk of developing lung cancer increases with the number of
cigarettes smoked over your lifetime. Cigarette smoking damages
the cells in your lungs. The moment you stop smoking, your lungs
begin healing themselves, replacing damaged cells with healthy,
normal cells. Your risk of developing lung cancer begins
decreasing almost immediately when you quit smoking. Every year
that you do not smoke, your chances of developing lung cancer
drop further. By the fifteenth year, your chances of developing
lung cancer are about the same as those of a person who has
never smoked.
Secondhand Smoke Also known as passive smoking, people exposed
to secondhand smoke on a regular basis will have a higher risk
of developing lung cancer, even if they do not smoke themselves.
Studies have shown that those who live with a smoker have a 24%
greater risk of developing lung cancer than most non-smokers.
Doctors estimate that about 3000 lung cancer deaths a year are
related to secondhand smoke.
Asbestos Exposure Exposure to asbestos is another well-known
cause of lung cancer and mesothelioma - cancer of the pleural
lining of the lungs. Asbestos was widely used in construction
and everyday products in the late 1800s through the 1960s.
Asbestos separates into fine silica fibers that become trapped
in the tissues of the lungs. Mesothelioma is inextricably linked
to asbestos exposure. There are no reported cases of
mesothelioma in people who were not exposed to asbestos either
in the workplace or through their environment. A non-smoker who
was exposed to asbestos has a five times greater risk of
developing lung cancer than a non-smoker who was not exposed.
Smoking increases the risk dramatically - a smoker who was
exposed to asbestos has a risk of developing lung cancer that is
50 to 90 times greater than that of a non-smoker.
Radon Gas It is estimated that about 12% of lung cancer deaths
can be attributed to radon gas, a colorless, odorless gas that
is a natural byproduct of the decay of uranium. The U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency estimates that as many as 15% of
homes in the United States have unsafe levels of radon gas,
which will account for 15,000 to 22,000 deaths from lung cancer
annually.
Air Pollution Scientists estimate that as many as 1% of all lung
cancer deaths are attributable to air pollution. They believe
that prolonged exposure to very polluted air can raise the risks
of developing lung cancer to about the levels of a passive
smoker.