Visit us anytime at https://www.asbestosclaims.law/. Can Lymphoma Be Caused By Asbestos Exposure?
Short Answer: Yes.
Lymphoma is a cancer of the lymphatic system, which helps maintain fluid levels in the body.
Health research has shown that asbestos exposure can be a risk factor for developing a number of cancers, including lymphoma.
The Links Between Asbestos Exposure and Cancer of the Lymphatic System (Lymphoma)
Asbestos exposure has been linked to a wide variety of serious illnesses, up to and including cancer.
What is Lymphoma?
Lymphoma is a cancer of the lymphatic system.
Sometimes called the body’s “sewage system,” the lymphatic system is a network of tissues, vessels, and organs that work together to move lymph fluid through the bloodstream.
The lymphatic system serves several important purposes, including
Maintaining lymph fluid levels throughout the body, absorbing fats from the digestive track, transporting and removing waste products and abnormal cells.
Protecting the body against foreign invaders, including germs, fungi, and—potentially—asbestos.
Lymphoma has the potential to attack the lymphatic system’s most critical components, including the:
Lymph nodes, spleen, thymus gland, bone marrow
Asbestos and the Categories of Lymphoma
Lymphoma is typically categorized as either:
Hodgkin’s Lymphoma or Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma
Sometimes called Hodgkin’s Disease, Hodgkin’s Lymphoma begins when special white blood cells called lymphocytes multiply uncontrollably, causing swollen lymph nodes and growths throughout the entire body.
Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma is a term is used to refer to all other lymphatic cancers.
Hodgkin’s and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma are differentiated only by the presence of an abnormal cell called a Reed-Sternberg cell.
Despite the apparent similarities between the two diseases, they have very different courses, treatment methods, and outcomes.
Asbestos Exposure and Lymphoma
Asbestos exposure has been posited as a potential risk factor for both Hodgkin’s and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
A 1982 study found a statistically significant increase in non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma among men involved in asbestos-heavy industries such as:
Stationary engineers, mechanics, carpenters
Asbestos Workers Could Still Receive Compensation for Lymphoma-Related Claims
Between the end of the Second World War and the EPA’s wide-ranging asbestos bans in the late 1970s and 1980s, an estimated 30 million American workers were exposed to asbestos on the job; an additional 100 million people may have suffered occupational exposures.
While scientists have yet to demonstrate a definite link between asbestos and lymphoma, courts across the country have at least tentatively accepted the possibility of a causal relationship.
The Asbestos-Lymphoma Link and Ford Motor Co.
Ford tried to have the claim dismissed, arguing that there is little compelling evidence to suggest that the plaintiff’s lymphoma was caused by occupational asbestos exposure.
Ultimately, the appellate court ruled against Ford, ordering the company to pay the plaintiff’s worker’s compensation claim and legal fees.
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.
We hope this information is helpful.
You can always find all of your asbestos-related questions answered, as well as help filing an asbestos claim, at http://www.asbestosclaims.law
