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Mesothelioma Causes & Risk Factors

According to the American Cancer Society, there is no doubt that asbestos exposure is the primary cause of pleural mesothelioma. Other risk factors that have not been proven like the link to asbestos may include exposure to structurally similar nonasbestos mineral fibers, family history of mesothelioma, radiation exposure and polio vaccination. Though there has been speculation, smoking does not increase your risk of developing mesothelioma if you have also been exposed to asbestos.

Asbestos Exposure & Pleural Mesothelioma

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral with fire-resistant and insulating properties. Exposure that results in disease usually occurs in an occupational setting, but can also take place at home or at naturally occurring deposits of asbestos. By the late 1920s and early 1930s, asbestos was increasingly used in home and ship construction. The height of asbestos use was between the 1940s and the early 1980s, as it was used in insulation, automotive brakes and clutches, roofing materials, construction materials, and everyday consumer products such as toasters and hair dryers.

How does asbestos exposure cause pleural mesothelioma? Asbestos exposure that results in pleural mesothelioma occurs when asbestos fibers are released into the air and are inhaled. Once inhaled, the toxic fibers can reach the chest cavity by penetrating the mesothelial cells of the pleura (lining of the lungs).

Once lodged in the mesothelial tissue, the fibers spawn a series of biological reactions that can cause cancerous changes in the surrounding cells. Presently there are a few theories on how these biological reactions lead to cancerous changes, but scientists are still unclear on exactly how these changes collectively result in tumor formation. What is understood is that asbestos causes biologic changes in a direct and indirect manner. The fibers directly damage the cells at the puncture site and indirectly damage the surrounding cells over time through a series of chemical reactions.

If you would like to understand more about how asbestos fibers cause pleural mesothelioma, please feel free to call 1-800-381-1772 to speak with a Patient Advocate who can further explain the process and mail you additional information on this topic.

Mesothelioma & Smoking

When coupled with asbestos exposure, smoking has been shown to drastically increase the risk of lung cancer. Asbestos workers who smoke have a lung cancer risk 50 to 90 times higher than the general population. Developing pleural mesothelioma, on the other hand, is not clinically increased among smokers. Smoking cigarettes simply weakens and damages the lungs and greatly decreases a person's natural ability to remove the asbestos fibers that cause mesothelioma.

Other Pleural Mesothelioma Risk Factors

Other risk factors, which may work in conjunction with asbestos exposure, that may be connected to mesothelioma include:

Simian Virus 40: There is reason to believe that a virus contained in past polio vaccines may increase the risk of developing mesothelioma. Some injectable polio vaccines were unintentionally contaminated with simian virus 40(SV40) during the period between 1955 and 1963. One study found SV40 DNA, which did not seem to be a contaminant, in tissues from mesothelioma patients. The virus did not appear linked to mesothelioma unless the person had also been exposed to asbestos. As of today, no studies have found an increased risk for mesothelioma in people who received contaminated polio vaccine as children.
Radiation: An increased risk of mesothelioma may also be linked with thorium dioxide (Thorotast), a radioactive substance that was once used as a contrast material in conjunction with x-rays. Thorotast was used from the 1920s to the 1950s. Its use was discontinued when it was linked to certain cancers. According to the American Cancer Society, there have only been a few reports of mesothelioma developing after exposure to thorium dioxide.
Family History of Mesothelioma: There is also evidence that a family history of mesothelioma may place a person at risk for the disease, but the evidence is not clear. It is possible that this link may be present due to a common source of asbestos exposure, rather than a genetic disposition. Further research is needed on the link between mesothelioma and family history.

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