Novum Law recognised in prestigious Chambers & Partners Guide 2024
The team at Novum Law are delighted to be once again recognised as one of the best personal injury law firms in the South West by the leading, independent legal...
November is National Lung Cancer Awareness Month – an important campaign to get people talking about the world’s biggest cancer killer and to raise much-needed funds to research prevention and treatment of the disease.
In the UK, according to Cancer Research UK, lung cancer is the second most common cancer. It accounts for about 27% of all cancer deaths and is by far, the leading cause of cancer death among both men and women. Each year, more people die of cancer than of colon, breast and prostate cancers combined.
Lung cancer has many different forms and there are many different symptoms from a persistent cough, shortness of breath, tiredness and loss of appetite to coughing up specks of blood and swelling in the face and/or neck. You can read more about lung cancer symptoms here.
Early detection is the key to achieving successful treatment and securing long-term survival of lung cancer.
By far one of the biggest causes of lung cancer is smoking in more than eight out of 10 cases. But people who have worked in places where they may have been exposed to asbestos are likely to be at a greater risk of developing lung cancer.
That’s because when asbestos is disturbed or damaged, it releases tiny microscopic fibres into the air. If inhaled, these fibres can become trapped in the lungs and over long periods of time, they can accumulate causing inflammation, scarring and other critical health problems (such as: asbestosis and mesothelioma, a cancer affecting the linings of the lungs) and can, in some cases, trigger the development of lung cancer.
Today, the link between exposure to asbestos and the damage that it can cause to the lungs is well-documented and employers are required to follow strict health and safety procedures and provide appropriate protective equipment to any employees who may be at risk.
Sadly, significant numbers of workers throughout the world were not so fortunate in the 1950s through to the 1980s and many are paying the price now from exposure to deadly asbestos fibres many decades later.
The link between asbestos exposure and lung cancer is clear. And people with higher or longer exposure to asbestos fibres have a far greater risk of developing lung cancer. Lung Cancer Awareness Month is a stark and moving reminder of the terrible effects asbestos can have on people’s health and wellbeing and the importance of lung cancer sufferers seeking legal advice if they think they have been exposed to asbestos in the past.
