-April 2, 2008
According to recent reports, the risk of developing lung cancer after being exposed to asbestos falls when exposure ends.
These new findings were revealed in a study conducted on Italian asbestos cement workers.
Research Conducted
Researchers reportedly followed 3,434 male and female workers to help better understand the risks of long term exposure to asbestos.
The study revealed that although the risk of mesothelioma developing in the pleura declined when exposure ended, the risk of mesothelioma in the peritoneum, increased.
Study Findings
The researchers found that both the men and the women in the group were at increased risk of dying from any type of cancer.
Over a 41-year period, there were reportedly 480 additional deaths due to cancer and asbestositis.
The risk of pleural mesothelioma is said to have rose over several years of asbestos exposure, but declined 50 years after the exposure ended.
The risk of lung cancer was also found to be highest in men between 30 and 39 years after the exposure ended, while in women, it was highest in the 20 to 29 years after exposure.
(Source: Reuters)
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