A severe and progressive pulmonary disease of the lungs, asbestosis is caused by high or extended exposure to asbestos. Asbestosis is not a form a cancer, but is a long-term illness that can develop into lung cancer or mesothelioma cancer. Typically developing 10 to 20 years after initial exposure, asbestosis causes lung tissue to scar. This scarring leads to difficulty with breathing, hinders the passage of oxygen and carbon dioxide through the lungs, and inhibits the ability to filter out toxic chemicals.

Though smoking does not cause asbestosis, it can severely complicate the disease, making the condition much worse. Smoking cigarettes weakens and damages the lungs to a severe degree. This immensely decreases a person's innate ability to eradicate asbestos fibers, which attack the body's mesothelial cells and result in mesothelioma cancer. Additionally, smoke from cigarettes aggravates air passages and causes an increased production of mucus. Such serious side effects block the passage of air and further inhibit the removal of asbestos fibers. Smoking hinders the body's ability to purge asbestos fibers, and as such, complicates all asbestos-related diseases.

Asbestosis is a veritable disease in its own right, but this illness can even develop into a more pressing and deadly condition, such as lung cancer or mesothelioma. Statistics reveal approximately one in seven people suffering with asbestosis eventually develop lung cancer. Since smoking makes asbestosis worse, it can also contribute to asbestosis developing into lung cancer. In fact, statistics concerning asbestos-induced lung cancer and smoking offer an illuminating glimpse into this deadly combination: when cigarette smokers are exposed to asbestos, their risk of developing lung cancer increases by 50 to 84 times. Clearly, the chance of contracting lung cancer multiplies with exposure to both asbestos and cigarette smoke. But there is hope if the smoker quits. According to the National Cancer Institute, asbestos-exposed workers who quit smoking cigarettes can effectively reduce their risk of developing lung cancer up to 50 percent within five years of quitting.

Clearly, strong lines are easily drawn among smoking, asbestosis, and lung cancer. These lines are quite serious for two reasons: (1) more people die from lung cancer than any other type of cancer and (2) government-issued statistics has revealed a 400 percent increase in deaths from asbestosis during the past two decades. If you have ever been exposed to asbestos and smoke cigarettes, you are highly encouraged to see a physician as soon as possible to be tested for asbestosis and other diseases caused by asbestos exposure (even if no symptoms have appeared). For smokers who have already developed asbestosis or lung cancer, it is essential to stop smoking immediately since smoking makes the condition undeniably worse.

Sources:

http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/asbestos/site-kit/docs/CigarettesAsbestos2.pdf
http://www.asbestos.com/asbestos/smoking/asbestosis.php

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