Mesothelioma Causes

Contact with asbestos is the leading cause of mesothelioma cancer, as nearly every patient diagnosed with this aggressive cancer came in contact with it at some point. Mesothelioma caused by asbestos exposure commonly occurs occupationally, environmentally or as a result of secondhand exposure.

Mesothelioma — a cancer that most commonly attacks the lungs and abdomen — was profoundly rare until industrial and commercial companies expanded the use of asbestos during the 20th century. After spending decades investigating the disease and its causes, medical researchers identified one primary culprit: Exposure to asbestos.
Medical research studies gradually pointed to the fact that breathing in minuscule asbestos fibers starts a chain of physical and metabolic events that lead to the development of several types of cancers or an incurable breathing disorder called asbestosis.

In March 2009, the International Agency for Research on Cancer reconfirmed that asbestos exposure is the leading cause for mesothelioma and all forms of asbestos cause the disease.