What Causes Mesothelioma?
Asbestos exposure is the cause of nearly every mesothelioma case. Understanding how it happens — and the rarer contributing factors — helps explain a diagnosis.
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The overwhelming cause of mesothelioma is exposure to asbestos. When asbestos fibers are inhaled or swallowed, they can embed in the lining of the lungs or abdomen and, over many years, cause the genetic damage that leads to cancer.
Asbestos: the primary cause
Most people were exposed at work, during military service, or through products made before asbestos was restricted. Family members could be exposed secondhand from fibers carried home on clothing.
Other contributing factors
- Radiation: prior chest radiation therapy is a rare risk factor.
- Genetics: an inherited change in the BAP1 gene can raise susceptibility in some families.
- Erionite: a mineral similar to asbestos, found in some regions.
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