What Is the Biggest Risk Factor for Mesothelioma?
Asbestos exposure is the biggest risk factor for malignant mesothelioma. There’s no mesothelioma without asbestos. If you’ve been diagnosed, it’s almost certain you were exposed to asbestos at some point in your lifetime.
Other notable mesothelioma risk factors include:
- Age: Those 70 or older are more likely to be diagnosed.
- Genetics: Gene mutations may increase mesothelioma risk after asbestos exposure.
- Job history: Many patients worked with or around asbestos on the job.
- Sex: Most mesothelioma patients are men.
Keep these mesothelioma risk factors in mind if you or someone you love was ever exposed to asbestos. If you develop any possible signs of mesothelioma, such as chest pain, cough, or shortness of breath, see a doctor and let them know if you have any history of asbestos exposure.
Doctors can then recommend steps to check for mesothelioma. In some cases, other patients have been diagnosed before the cancer has spread very far, giving them a better long-term health outlook.
Get our Free Mesothelioma Guide to learn more about mesothelioma risk factors and steps you can take to stay on top of your health.
Asbestos and Mesothelioma Risk
Only asbestos causes mesothelioma. Asbestos was used for fireproofing and durability in buildings, ships, and vehicles for decades. However, handling asbestos products could release fibers into the air, increasing your risk of exposure.
It takes 10-50 years or more for asbestos to cause mesothelioma, and there is no safe level of asbestos exposure. Even being exposed to asbestos just once could put you at risk. With that said, you’re more likely to develop mesothelioma if you were regularly exposed to asbestos.
Those at the highest risk of developing mesothelioma after asbestos exposure worked with or around products containing this material at their jobs or while serving in the military.
Occupational Asbestos Exposure
Before the early 1980s, many different jobs relied on asbestos-containing materials. Many workers remember using asbestos products like insulation and building materials without realizing they were dangerous.
Manufacturers of asbestos products hid the dangers to make huge profits. As a result, workers may have spent decades at jobs where they were exposed to asbestos every day, increasing their mesothelioma risk factor.
Jobs with a high risk of occupational asbestos exposure include:
- Automotive repair
- Carpentry
- Construction
- Electrical work
- Factory work
- Firefighting
- Mining
- Shipbuilding
Many people who worked with asbestos decades ago are just now being diagnosed with mesothelioma since it takes 10-50 years for this cancer to form after asbestos exposure.
Military Asbestos Exposure
The U.S. military used tons of asbestos-containing materials in bases, ships, vehicles, and more before the risks were publicly understood. As a result, many veterans are at risk of mesothelioma today. In fact, 1 in 3 mesothelioma patients served in the U.S. military.
Here’s how you could have been exposed depending on your branch:
- Air Force: Planes and bases relied on asbestos materials.
- Army: Asbestos was used to build bases and barracks.
- Coast Guard: Hundreds of Coast Guard ships used asbestos.
- Marine Corps: Bases and ships contained asbestos.
- Navy: Virtually every Navy ship was built with asbestos.
Veterans of the U.S. Navy had the highest mesothelioma risk factor of any branch because asbestos was used aboard virtually all of this branch’s ships for decades.
Secondary Asbestos Exposure
You could be at a high risk of mesothelioma indirectly through secondary asbestos exposure. It occurs when those who worked with asbestos accidentally brought home fibers on clothing, hair, and skin, regularly exposing spouses, children, and other family members.
“My father would come home from work, and I’d run up and hug him. He was covered in dust from a work site. We didn’t know that it included asbestos dust.”
Call (866) 608-8933 now if you or someone you love has mesothelioma to get help pinpointing your asbestos exposure, accessing treatment, and recovering compensation for medical expenses.
Other Risk Factors of Mesothelioma
Certain factors, such as your age, sex, and family history, could potentially mean you’re at a higher risk of mesothelioma following asbestos exposure. Explore common mesothelioma risk factors below.
Age
You are more likely to develop mesothelioma if you are an older person. The average age at the time of a mesothelioma diagnosis is 72, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Mesothelioma tends to affect older people because it has a long latency period. This is the time between exposure and when symptoms of mesothelioma first appear. This cancer typically forms 10-50 years or more after someone has been exposed.
Sex
Men are more likely to develop mesothelioma than women. This is because men were more likely to serve as construction workers, shipbuilders, and in other jobs where asbestos materials were used on an everyday basis.
In fact, more than 3 in 4 mesothelioma patients diagnosed between 1999 and 2021 were men, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Race
In the United States, most mesothelioma patients are white. In a study of nearly 13,000 patients conducted by the Journal of Clinical Oncology, 95% were white. Hispanic and Latino people are also at a higher risk, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS).
Genetics
Some genetic factors do play a role in your mesothelioma risk, but only if you were exposed to asbestos. For example, changes in the BAP1 gene could make it easier for asbestos to harm your body and trigger mesothelioma. You can’t develop mesothelioma from a genetic mutation alone, however.
Doctors who treat mesothelioma can look at your genetics, family asbestos exposure, and other risks to explain how they may have affected your diagnosis.
Environmental Asbestos Exposure
Living near job sites that relied on asbestos could potentially be a mesothelioma risk factor. For example, the town of Libby, Montana, was home to a major asbestos mine that operated for decades, poisoning hundreds of residents.
With that said, the risk of mesothelioma is typically higher if you worked directly with asbestos-containing materials.
Does Smoking Increase Risk of Mesothelioma?
No, smoking is not considered a mesothelioma risk factor. Doctors haven’t found any reason to believe tobacco causes mesothelioma outright. There’s also no evidence that smokers are more likely to develop this cancer than nonsmokers.
However, you have a higher risk of lung cancer and other asbestos-related diseases if you smoked and were also exposed to asbestos. Smokers exposed to asbestos are more likely to be diagnosed with lung cancer than people who either just smoked or were only exposed, according to the National Cancer Institute (NCI).
Can You Lessen Mesothelioma Risk?
The ACS notes that there is no way to lower your risk of mesothelioma if you were already exposed to asbestos at some point in your life. With that said, there are some steps you can take to stay on top of your health if you know you’re in danger of this cancer.
You can help manage mesothelioma risk factors by:
- Getting mesothelioma screening tests
- Telling your health care team about any history of asbestos exposure
- Requesting a second opinion if you think you’ve been misdiagnosed
It may also be a good idea to quit smoking. Even though smoking isn’t a mesothelioma risk factor outright, it can cause other serious health issues, limit your available treatment options, and lead to complications.
You should consider taking the steps above even if you’re currently feeling healthy. Mesothelioma symptoms take time to appear and are usually only mild at first, which means they’re commonly mistaken for less serious conditions.
Get our Free Mesothelioma Guide for help understanding the risks of asbestos exposure and how to access treatment and support resources.
Managing Your Mesothelioma Risk Factors
Anyone can develop mesothelioma after being exposed to asbestos. If you or someone you love has potential mesothelioma risk factors, it is crucial to stay on top of your health moving forward.
Mesothelioma Hope has helped thousands of families affected by mesothelioma and asbestos exposure. We’re ready to assist you every step of the way, too.
Work with our team to:
- Find doctors who can assess your cancer risk
- Get mesothelioma screening tests
- Start treatment if needed
- Pursue compensation for your expenses
Call (866) 608-8933 or get our Free Mesothelioma Guide now to learn what steps you can take to move forward.
Risk Factors for Mesothelioma FAQs
Who most commonly gets mesothelioma?
Mesothelioma typically affects those who were routinely exposed to asbestos. Older men usually have the highest mesothelioma risk factor. This is because the cancer forms decades after exposure, and many men regularly worked with or around asbestos in jobs like construction, shipbuilding, or military service.
What is the average age for mesothelioma?
The average age of a mesothelioma patient is 72 years old, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). Mesothelioma is more common in older adults since it takes 10-50 years to develop after someone is exposed to asbestos.
How likely are you to develop mesothelioma?
Generally speaking, the odds of developing mesothelioma are low if you’ve never been exposed to asbestos, which is the only proven cause of the cancer. Older, white men who were regularly exposed to asbestos on the job are the highest risk group for mesothelioma.
Contact us now if you or someone you love is facing a mesothelioma diagnosis. We may be able to help you find a top cancer center, schedule treatments, and seek financial compensation to pay for your medical care.
What are some childhood mesothelioma risk factors?
It’s incredibly rare for children or teens to develop mesothelioma, but it has happened. The biggest risk factor for childhood mesothelioma is long-term asbestos exposure at a very young age.
Children exposed typically don’t get sick until adulthood, though, since the cancer takes decades to develop. For example, John Panza was diagnosed with mesothelioma at just 38 years old as a result of secondary exposure through his father.
“My dad more or less drove around a plant all day picking up asbestos fibers, and that’s what he did every day, 5 days a week, for over 20 years,” John remembers.
Is radiation a risk factor for mesothelioma?
No, radiation is not considered a mesothelioma risk factor. Overwhelming evidence shows that asbestos causes mesothelioma, not radiation.
Doctors can give you a better idea about potential risk factors of mesothelioma and how to stay on top of your health.
Are there other possible causes of mesothelioma besides asbestos?
No, asbestos is the sole cause of mesothelioma. “If there’s no asbestos, there’s no mesothelioma. It’s that simple,” says Dr. Raja Flores, a mesothelioma specialist. “If you have mesothelioma, and you say, ‘Well, I’ve never been exposed to asbestos,’ you were exposed to it. You just don’t know where, and you don’t know when.”
You may hear about other possible causes like simian virus 40 (SV40) or materials like zeolite and erionite. However, there’s very little evidence to support these as legitimate mesothelioma risk factors. In fact, SV40 has been proven not to cause mesothelioma, according to the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD).
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