Smoking is Not the Only Lung Cancer Risk Factor

Smoking is dangerous to your health, there’s no question about it. People who smoke increase their risk of respiratory illnesses like asthma and emphysema, of heart attack and stroke, and, of breast, lung, breast, stomach and throat cancers.

A smoker who finishes more than one pack of cigarettes a day increases his/her risk of lung cancer by 20-25 times compared to a non-smoker.

Lung cancer is currently the leading cause of cancer-related deaths for both men and women. In 2008 alone, over 2 million Americans were diagnosed with lung cancer.

While smoking is the greatest contributor for lung cancer, Dr. Joseph Mercola warns that even a non-smoke can have a significant risk for developing this disease if one or more of these other risk factors are present:

• Radon exposure – Radon is an odorless, colorless carcinogenic gas produced when uranium seeps out of the earth, becomes trapped in your home or workplace, and is concentrated in the air that you breathe. Some tests have revealed that granite countertops emit potentially dangerous levels of radiation. In the U.S., radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking in America, and the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, smokers further increase their risk of lung cancer if they are also exposed to radon.

•    Asbestos exposure – Chronic exposure to asbestos can cause mesothelioma, a cancer of the lung lining. Asbestos has also been linked to cancers of the esophagus, intestines, kidney, larynx, mouth, pharynx and rectum.

•    Air pollution – Researchers from Brigham Young University and New York University found that the number of lung cancer deaths increased by 8 percent for every increase of 10 micrograms of pollution, showing that air pollution contributed to a “small but significant increase” in lung cancer risks.

•    Exposure to other chemicals – Toxic chemicals in the air that you breathe add up to your body’s total burden and further increase your risk of lung cancer and other types of cancer. A study showed that factory workers exposed to berillium, a metal used to make sporting goods, dental equipment and airplane parts, can cause lung disease and lung cancer.

Lung cancer may be a killer but it is also a disease that is easily preventable, Dr. Mercola points out.  If you don’t smoke, don’t start because there is nothing good that can be said about this vice. Smoking is guaranteed to increase your risk of premature death and needless suffering, Mercola warns. No amount of health products you try or lifestyle changes you implement will make you healthy unless you quit smoking.

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Tags: asbestos, lung cancer, smoking