Beyond Mesothelioma: Asbestos Linked to Digestive Cancers
Scientists have long known that mesothelioma, an aggressive cancer that affects the membrane around organs, is not the only cancer linked to asbestos exposure. Numerous studies have also found a link between asbestos and lung cancer. Now, a new study conducted in France and published in Occupational and Environmental Medicine suggests that, in addition to mesothelioma, asbestos-exposed workers also face a significantly higher risk of digestive cancers, including cancers of the esophagus, liver, colon and rectum. The study focused on a group of 2024 workers who worked in an asbestos plant in France between 1978 and 2009. Not surprisingly, people in the study faced a higher incidence of mesothelioma, a cancer that is extremely rare in the general public. But…