Visit us anytime at https://www.asbestosclaims.law/. Can Asbestos Exposure Cause Throat Cancer?
Short Answer: Yes, extensive health research shows that asbestos exposure can lead to various cancers, including throat cancer.
One type of throat cancer (laryngeal cancer) is at particular risk from asbestos exposure.
Another type of throat cancer (pharyngeal cancer) may also be caused by exposure to asbestos.
How Does Asbestos Exposure Cause Cancer?
Researchers found that asbestos comprises very small fibers of varying thickness and length.
When there is damage to any asbestos-containing material (ACM), it releases these fibers into the air.
When you inhale this air, these fibers settle down in your lungs and airways, which then can cause diseases.
Some asbestos fibers may bypass your body’s natural defenses and lodge deep within your lungs. Those fibers can remain in place for a very long time and may never be removed.” -Source: American Lung Association
It is difficult to find out if you have any disease caused by asbestos. Asbestos diseases can take 20-50 years to develop in the body. This is called the latency of asbestos diseases.
Also, symptoms of asbestos illnesses can appear very late, many months after you have the disease. This is especially true in the case of mesothelioma patients.
“Generally, those who develop asbestos-related diseases show no signs of illness for a long time after exposure.” Source: National Cancer Institute (NIH)
Screening for Asbestos Illnesses
There are also tests to detect the presence of cancerous cells. If you have ever been exposed to asbestos, speak to your healthcare professional about getting tested.
“The overall evidence suggests there is no safe level of asbestos exposure.” Source: National Cancer Institute (NIH) 3
What Type Of Cancers Does Asbestos Cause?
Asbestos causes several types of cancers, the most prominent of which is mesothelioma. In fact, doctors claim that asbestos is the sole cause of mesothelioma.
Asbestos can also cause lung cancer, although tobacco is the main cause.
Both these cancers show symptoms after a very long time, up to 40 years by which time the cancer would have spread.
Smokers who are exposed to asbestos are up to fifty times more likely to develop lung cancer than nonsmokers not exposed.
What is Throat Cancer?
You can suffer from throat cancer if any part of the throat has cancer.
Throat cancer, called pharyngeal cancer, usually occurs on the inside of your throat. When the cancer hits the voice box, then you have a cancer of the larynx, called laryngeal cancer.
Pharyngeal cancer
is throat cancer because it occurs in the throat. These can have subtypes based on their location near the nose, tonsils, or the windpipe.
Laryngeal cancer
is the cancer that occurs in the voice box. These can have subtypes based on their location in the voice box inside the vocal chords, below the vocal chords or the epiglottis.
People with high and long exposure to asbestos have more than double or triple the chance of developing laryngeal cancer than those not exposed to asbestos.
If you may have been exposed to asbestos, speak with your healthcare provider about tests and screening to help detect the presence of asbestos fibers and asbestos-related damage.
For help filing an asbestos or mesothelioma claim, please visit us at http://www.asbestosclaims.law. Asbestos law is ALL we do.
