Mesothelioma Caused by Asbestos not Cigarettes
The one established cause of mesothelioma in the United States is exposure to asbestos. Cigarette smoking has nothing to do with causing mesothelioma with one exception. Between 1952 and 1956 one cigarette company in the United States manufactured filtered cigarettes using asbestos in the filter.
The technology came from World War II gas mask filtration. However, testing of the cigarettes has shown that when the filtered cigarette was inhaled, asbestos fibers were released. The inhalation of these asbestos fibers can cause mesothelioma. The cigarettes were Kent cigarettes with micronite filters. Advertised to the public as a “healthier protection cigarette” but actually contains asbestos, the Kent micronite filtered cigarettes were quite the opposite.
When asbestos is inhaled or ingested, the fibers lodge in the lining of the heart, lungs or abdomen. Ten to forty years later, this develops into mesothelioma, a fatal form of cancer that has no known cure. Cigarette smoking can make matters worse, but is not the cause of mesothelioma or other asbestos related diseases.
If you are having any symptoms of mesothelioma, contact your doctor immediately and make sure to inform him of any prior exposure to asbestos.
