A study published in Occupational and Environmental Medicine has found that those who worked in asbestos textile plants between the 1950s and 1970s face a significantly higher risk of lung cancer and death due to chrysotile asbestos exposure.

While asbestos has previously been linked to an increased risk of lung cancer, mesothelioma, and asbestosis, this study specifically looked at four North Carolina plants that produced textile products with chrysotile asbestos. Chrysotile asbestos is the most commonly used form of the industrial fiber, and amosite and crocidolite are two lesser-used forms of the material.

The current study compared the asbestos exposure and medical histories of 5,770 workers who had been employed at the four North Carolina plants between 1950 and 1973. Of this group, more than 2,500 died during the study period; 277 of these deaths were from lung cancer. The plant workers rate of lung cancer was 95 percent higher than that of the general population, and their rate of death from all causes was 45 percent higher.

The findings of the study could drastically change policy decisions currently being made about the deregulation of chryostile asbestos.

Asbestos exposure can lead to many adverse side effects including lung cancer and gastrointestinal cancer, asbestosis and  mesothelioma.Workers exposed to asbestos and who have been diagnosed with one of these maladies could be entitled to financial compaensation and should contact an asbestos attorney about a mesothelioma lawsuit.