“Recent Study Finds Link Between Asbestos Exposure, Lung Cancer and Smoking” Asons Solicitors Comment
Bolton, UK (PRWEB UK) 8 July 2013 -- According to the latest statistics published by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), there are currently around 2,000 deaths each year in Great Britain due to asbestos-related lung cancer (1).
The study, whose abstract is published in the online version of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, demonstrated a link between smoking cigarettes and the dramatic increase of the rate at which workers previously exposed to asbestos developed lung cancer (2). Steven Markowitz, Professor of occupational and environmental medicine at the Queens College in New York, conducted the study to assess the individual influence of asbestos exposure, asbestosis and smoking — as well as their relation to lung cancer — in an asbestos-exposed cohort. (3)
When questioned about the findings, Professor Markowitz made the following statement:
“The interactions between asbestos exposure, asbestosis and smoking, and their influence on lung cancer risk are incompletely understood.
In our study of a large cohort of asbestos-exposed insulators and more than 50,000 non-exposed controls, we found that each individual risk factor was associated with increased risk of developing lung cancer, while the combination of two risk factors further increased the risk and the combination of all three risk factors increased the risk of developing lung cancer almost 37-fold.” (4)
The research team analyzed data collected from 2,377 men who worked as insulators and had been exposed to asbestos,comparing them to 54,243 blue-collar workers with no history of exposure to asbestos, who acted as controls. According to study results, lung cancer was deemed responsible for 339 (19%) insulator deaths. In particular, lung cancer mortality was increased by asbestos exposure among non-smokers, by asbestosis among non-smokers and by smoking without asbestos exposure (3).
Commenting on the research, Asons Executive Thomas Fairclough:
“If further studies confirm these findings, people who suffer from an asbestos-related illness and are aware that they have been exposed to deadly fibres will have the opportunity to reduce the risk of developing lung cancer by quitting smoking. Here at Asons we see many similar cases when individuals seek asbestosis compensation; often these are the result of poor working conditions, where an environment is not regulated and employers neither provide adequate protection nor warn about the dangers of asbestos exposure.”
Asons Solicitors have a dedicated team of industrial disease specialists dealing with cases of asbestos related diseases, giving people legal advice, particularly in the area of asbestos claim. Exposure to asbestos can be deadly, and Asons urge anyone who feels they may have been exposed to asbestos fibres to consult their GP immediately and contact an industrial disease specialist for legal representation.
Asons Solicitors have a wealth of knowledge and expertise relating to asbestos claims; priding themselves on the provision of first-class legal advice and support. Asons regularly provide advice to those seeking asbestosis compensation.
If you, or someone you know, have suffered from asbestosis exposure, contact Asons solicitors to find out what kind of help is available. Contact Asons on: 0844 850 1062 or fill out a claim form at http://www.asons.co.uk
(1) Health and Safety Executive – Statistics - Asbestos related lung-cancer hse.gov.uk/statistics/causdis/lungcancer/index.htm
(2) Markowitz, Levin, Miller, Morabia – 11h April 2013 - Asbestos, Asbestosis, Smoking and Lung Cancer: New Findings from the North American Insulator Cohort atsjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1164/rccm.201302-0257OC
(3) Healio – 13th May 2013 - Combination of asbestos exposure, asbestosis, smoking amplified lung cancer risk healio.com/hematology-oncology/lung-cancer/news/online/%7B94fd6a50-fc78-4827-a146-bcbc55b8a763%7D/combination-of-asbestos-exposure-asbestosis-smoking-amplified-lung-cancer-risk
(4) Medwire News – 17th April 2013 - Smoking significant contributor to asbestos-related lung cancer medwirenews.com/46/104219/General_oncology/Smoking_significant_contributor_to_asbestos-related_lung_cancer.html
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About Asons Solicitors:
Asons Solicitors is a Bolton-based law practice that specialises in personal injury and industrial disease claims. Founded by brothers Imran Akram and Kamran Akram, Asons Solicitors has developed to become a young and dynamic law firm that delivers practical solutions to clients in times of difficulty. Their continued focus on their staff has seen them awarded with the Investors in People “Gold Award”; which is reflected in the professional and personable approach they take in working with clients. They strive to grow and to develop, and their supportiveness and attention to detail ensures that their clients use them time and again.
For further information contact:
Email: info (at) asons (dot) co.uk
Website: http://www.asons.co.uk
Imran Akram, Asons Solicitors, http://www.asons.co.uk, 08448501062, [email protected]
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