Asbestos has been recognised as an important risk factor for lung cancer for many years.

Asbestos has been recognised as an important risk factor for lung cancer for many years. The two most common diseases related to asbestos lung cancer are asbestosis and mesothelioma, with pleural mesothelioma being the most common form of mesothelioma. Malignant mesothelioma is a rare type of asbestos lung cancer that results from asbestos becoming lodged in the lining of the lung.

Lung cancer, either of the internal portions of the lungs or the outer lining (pleura). British asbestos workers were among the first who were observed to have lung cancer related to asbestos. Most current patients were once exposed to asbestos. The delay between exposure to asbestos and the development of cancer is generally 20 or more years. The number of deaths from asbestosis has increased.

Mesothelioma is a cancer caused only by exposure to asbestos dust. It grows on the lining of the lung, gut (peritoneum) or very occasionally in the lining of the pericardium. This is known because epidemiological studies of asbestos worker deaths show a high lung cancer rate. Until recently the government's official position was that for every one mesothelioma death there are two lung cancer deaths specific to asbestos exposure.