All Forms of Asbestos Shown to Cause Mesothelioma

In a letter to the editor of the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, Dr. Richard Lemen, a private consultant and professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at Emory University in Atlanta, points out that all forms of asbestos are shown to cause mesothelioma and lung cancer.  Lemen’s letter was in response to a summary the editor published indicating that chrysotile asbestos had not been conclusively “established as a cause” of mesothelioma.   

Mesothelioma is a cancer of the mesothelial cells, caused by breathing in asbestos fibers that become lodged in the thin membrane that lines and encases the lungs.  Often called “asbestos cancer,” mesothelioma is highly aggressive and is resistant to many standard cancer treatments.

Lemen cited the 2009 evaluation by the International Agency for Research on Cancer stating “epidemiological evidence has increasingly shown an association of all forms of asbestos (chrysotile, crocidolite, amosite, tremolite, actinolite, and anthophyllite) with an increased risk of lung cancer and mesothelioma.”

Lemen emphasized that even in the article the editor summarized, the authors stated that until chrysotile consumption is banned, the incidence of mesothelioma may not decline.

Lemen is also retired Assistant Surgeon General of the United States and retired Deputy Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).

Chrysotile Asbestos and Mesothelioma