• Age - Increasing age is a risk factor for lung cancer. It is less common in people under age 40. More diagnoses occur after age 45 and a larger number over age 65. The probability of getting lung cancer changes with age.

• Smoking - Cigarette smoking is known to be the cause of most lung cancers. The risk of developing the disease increases with the number of cigarettes smoked, and if people start to smoke at a young age. Filtered and low tar cigarettes may reduce the person's risk of developing cancer slightly, but it is still far greater than that of a non-smoker. Lung cancer has always been more common in men, particularly those over the age of 40, as more men used to smoke than women. However, as more women have started smoking the number of women developing lung cancer has gone up considerably.

o What if I quite smoking - If a person stops smoking, the risk of lung cancer goes down quite quickly and after about fifteen years that person's chances of developing the disease are similar to that of a non-smoker.

o Second hand smoking - It now appears that breathing in other people's cigarette smoke, known as passive smoking, slightly increases the risk of lung disease and cancer, although the risk is still much less than if you smoke yourself.

• Radon - Radon is an invisible, odorless, tasteless radioactive gas that occurs naturally in soil and rocks. Radon is the second-leading cause of lung cancer in the United States, with an estimated 21,000 lung cancer deaths each year related to radon exposure, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

• Asbestos exposure - People who have been in prolonged or close contact with asbestos have a higher risk of lung cancer, especially if they smoke. There are many different jobs that may involve exposure. Some examples are working with certain types of insulation, working in coke ovens, and repairing brakes. When exposure to job-related carcinogens is combined with smoking, the risk of getting lung cancer is sharply increased. See the section on Occupationally Risky Jobs. Asbestos and tobacco smoke act together to increase the risk. Many people have been in contact with asbestos during their working lives. Low-level exposure increases the risk of lung cancer only slightly, compared to the risk from smoking, while heavy exposure may result in a much higher risk of lung cancer. Asbestos exposure also increases the risk of Mesothelioma, a cancer of the membranes which cover the lungs.

• Chemicals - Contact with certain chemicals and substances, such as uranium, chromium and nickel, can cause lung cancer, but these are very rare causes.
• Air pollution – This has been suggested as a cause of lung cancer but this is difficult to prove.
Lung cancer is not infectious and cannot be passed on to other people.

Lung cancer is not infectious and cannot be passed on to other people.

Asbestos Product & Lung Cancer

• Diseases which have been attributed to asbestos exposure include asbestosis, lung cancer, mesothelioma and gastrointestinal cancers.

• Asbestos fibers may enter the body through inhalation (breathing) or ingestion (eating, drinking).

• It is not known what amounts of asbestos are hazardous over what periods of time.

• Exposure to asbestos in combination with cigarette smoking increases an individual's lung cancer risk nearly 60 times.


Asbestos Products

In the following jobs, workers are often exposed to high levels of asbestos.

Boilers
Furnaces
Roofing materials
Building insulation
Pipe and furnace insulation materials
Asbestos and cement shingles
Siding
Roofing
Millboard
Resilient floor tiles
The backing on vinyl sheet flooring
Floor tile adhesives
Soundproofing or decorative material
Patching and joint compound
Fireproof gloves
Blankets, curtains and stove-top pads
Spackling compounds
Automobile brake pads and linings
Clutch facings
Gaskets



Occupationally Risky Jobs

Shipbuilders
Mechanics
Building
Demolition Workers
Utility Workers
Construction Workers
Plumbers
Electricians
Boilermakers
Bricklayers
Carpenters
Drywallers
Plumbers
Welders
Furnace Workers
Grinders
Insulators
Iron Workers
Laborers
Longshoremen
Maintenance Workers
Merchant Marines
Millwrights
Painters
Plumbers
Roofers
Sandblasters
Sheet metal Workers
People who live near asbestos factories
People who worked in places where asbestos was present