Asbestos, when inhaled, may cause cancer by physically rather than chemically irritating cells. When non-asbestos fibers are inhaled, most are cleared in the nose, throat, windpipe or large breathing tubes of the lungs because they stick to mucus inside the air passages and are coughed up or swallowed. Asbestos fibers, however, are less readily cleared, and may reach the ends of the small airways and penetrate into the lining of the lung and chest wall. These fibers may then directly injure cells of the lining eventually causing mesothelioma.
Asbestos can also damage cells of the lung and result in asbestosis (formation of scar tissue in the lung) and lung cancer. The risk of lung cancer among people exposed to asbestos is seven times greater than that of the general population. Abdominal cancer may result from coughing up and swallowing inhaled asbestos fibers. Cancers of the larynx, pancreas, esophagus, colon, and kidney have also been linked to asbestos exposure.
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