Why is mesothelioma a rare cancer if so many people were exposed to asbesto?
Filed in Mesothelioma Info on Mar.26, 2011
3 Responses to “Why is mesothelioma a rare cancer if so many people were exposed to asbesto?”
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March 26th, 2011 at 10:58 am
Most people have low exposure to asbestos. Most cases of mesothelioma are seen in people who work with asbestos (often in the factories that manufactured products made of asbestos) who had high exposures.
Even among people with high exposure, the risk of developing mesothelioma is not high. But it is much higher than the risk of getitng mesothelioma without asbestos exposure.
If 0.1% of an unexposed population get a disease and 2% of an exposed population get a disease, the exposure is extremely high risk. It increases your risk of the disease by 20 times. But the incidence of the disease is still rare.
March 26th, 2011 at 11:20 am
It’s a strong risk factor for having long term exposure and inhaling the dust particles. It’s not a strong risk factor if you walk by someone’s house that has asbestos siding.
March 26th, 2011 at 11:32 am
What makes you think “so many” people have been exposed?
It takes at least 25 years to manifest and not everyone who was exposed will get cancer.