US Report Once Again Identifies Asbestos as a Known Carcinogen that Causes Mesothelioma and Lung Cancer
Mesothelioma is an aggressive, incurable cancer caused by asbestos exposure that often leaves patients with few treatment options and a prognosis of less than one year after diagnosis. Asbestos was widely used in building materials in homes, schools, factories and other industrial settings for much of the 20th century. Its use was largely restricted in the late 1970s because of its toxicity. The heavy use of asbestos left workers and their families who breathed asbestos dust decades ago vulnerable to contracting the asbestos cancer, which typically takes 30 years or more to present symptoms.
Asbestos is proven to cause not only mesothelioma, but lung cancer, asbestosis and other respiratory diseases, with close to 3,000 new cases of mesothelioma being diagnosed each year in the United States. With the known health hazards the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the National Toxicology Program (NTP), and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) all recognize asbestos as a human carcinogen – meaning asbestos causes cancer or helps cancer grow.
The 12th Report on Carcinogens, a science-based, public health document mandated by Congress, also recognizes the toxicity of asbestos in all forms. The report, released in June by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, identifies substances, chemicals, metals, pesticides, drugs and compounds that are known or reasonably expected to cause cancer in humans. The report lists 54 substances as known carcinogens and 186 substances that are suspected of causing cancer in humans.
The report states that cancer studies in humans “have shown that exposure to asbestos causes respiratory-tract cancer, mesothelioma of the lung and abdominal cavity (pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma), and cancer at other tissue sites.”
Substances such as asbestos are listed as known carcinogens when there is a convincing body of evidence from peer-reviewed scientific studies involving humans to show a cause-and-effect relationship between exposure and development of cancer. Asbestos has been listed as a known carcinogen since publication of the 1st Report on Carcinogens in 1980. Scientific studies have found that occupational exposure to all forms of asbestos increases the risk of cancer, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Glass wool is among the eight newly listed suspected human carcinogens in the 12th Report on Carcinogens. A synthetic fiber, glass wool is used in building insulation and in special use applications as high-efficiency air filters and in aircraft and spacecraft insulation. Scientific studies involving animals show that glass wool causes cancerous tumors in animals’ lungs. The ability of glass wool fibers to cause cancer in animals varied depending on the types of fibers.
Much like asbestos fibers, glass wool fibers that are biopersistent and remain in the lungs are most associated with causing cancer. Asbestos was used to make insulation and insulation wrap. Older homes and buildings may contain vermiculite insulation containing asbestos.
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