The link between exposure to asbestos and the development of cancer has been long-established and it is clear that when asbestos fibers are breathed, they can cause mesothelioma. Unfortunately, new research shows that even very low levels of exposure to asbestos can trigger the damage to the lining of the lungs that causes mesothelioma.
The study was published in the Journal of Occupation and Environmental Medicine and it involved reviewing data from more than 60,000 men that was collected as part of the Netherlands Cohort Study. The men whose data was reviewed were Norwegian men between the ages of 55 and 69. The researchers took a careful look at the job history of each of the 58,279 men who were involved in the study and compared the work background of the men to the different occupations where workers were routinely exposed to asbestos. The researchers also compared the levels of asbestos exposure among the men surveyed to the rate at which the men developed mesothelioma and other cancers such as lung cancer.
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