causes lung cancer in non smoker

While cigarette smoking is an undisputed cause of lung cancer, not all cases of lung cancer occur in smokers or former smokers. Each year, over 170,000 Americans develop lung cancer, and approximately ten per cent of lung cancers, or 17,000 cases, occur in non-smokers. Although not every non-smoker suffering from lung cancer will have an identifiable risk factor for development of the disease, a number of conditions and circumstances have been identified that will increase a non-smoker's chance of developing lung cancer.

    Passive smoking, or the inhalation of tobacco smoke from other smokers sharing living or working quarters, is an established risk factor for the development of lung cancer. Non-smokers who reside with a smoker have a 24% increase in risk for developing lung cancer when compared with other non-smokers. Each year, up to 3,000 lung cancer deaths are estimated to occur in the U.S. that are attributable to passive smoking.
   

Radon gas, a naturally-occurring gas that forms when uranium decays, is another known cause of lung cancer. An estimated 12% of total lung cancer deaths in both smokers and non-smokers, or 15,000 to 22,000 lung cancer-related deaths annually in the U.S, are believed to be at least partially related to radon gas exposure. Those who do smoke and are exposed to radon have an even greater risk of developing lung cancer than non-smokers who are exposed to radon gas. Radon gas can travel up through soil and enter homes through gaps in the foundation, pipes, drains, or other openings. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that one out of every 15 homes in the U.S. contains dangerous levels of radon gas. Radon gas is invisible and odorless but can be detected with simple test kits.
    Asbestos is a compound that was widely used in the past as both thermal and acoustic insulation material. Microscopic fibers of asbestos break loose from the insulation material and are released into the air where they can be inhaled into the lungs. Asbestos fibers can persist for a lifetime in lung tissue following exposure to asbestos. Both lung cancer and a type of cancer known as mesothelioma are associated with exposure to asbestos. Cigarette smoking drastically increases the chance of developing an asbestos-related lung cancer among workers exposed to asbestos; nevertheless, asbestos workers who do not smoke have a five fold greater risk of developing lung cancer than other non-smokers. Today, asbestos use is limited or banned in many countries including the Unites States.
    Heredity, since all smokers do not eventually develop lung cancer, it is likely that other factors, such as individual genetic susceptibility, may play a role in the causation of lung cancer. Numerous studies have shown that lung cancer is more likely to occur in both smoking and non-smoking relatives of those who have had lung cancer than in the general population.
    Air pollution from vehicles, industry, and power plants, can raise the likelihood of developing lung cancer in exposed individuals. It has been estimated that up to 2,000 lung cancer deaths per year may be attributable to breathing polluted air, and many experts believe that prolonged exposure to highly polluted air can carry a risk for the development of lung cancer similar to that of passive smoking.

chronic lung disease

The two most important risk factors for chronic respiratory diseases are tobacco smoke (through personal smoking and exposure to second-hand smoke) and indoor and outdoor air quality. Those who smoke cigarettes increase their risk of developing lung cancer, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and asthma. Exposure to second-hand smoke affects all Canadians, causing cancer in adult non-smokers, sudden infant death syndrome in newborns and worsening symptoms of those with asthma or COPD. All Canadians are affected by the quality of air they breathe. However, the effects are more severe in those with lung disease. People who have chronic respiratory disease should refrain from smoking (or being exposed to second-hand smoke) and as much as possible ensure a high quality of the air they breathe.

symptoms of lung cancer

symptoms of lung cancer

Lung cancer is cancer that begins in the lungs, the two organs found in the chest that help you breathe.

The lungs are made up of areas called lobes. The right lung has three lobes; the left lung has two, so there's room for the heart. When you breathe, air goes through your nose, down your windpipe (trachea), and into the lungs where it spreads through tubes called bronchi. Most lung cancer begins in the cells that line these tubes.

smokers lung after a year best story

I was 15 years old, walking home after school with my friend James, James called a guy over to ask him for a cigarette, I asked him for one too, I've never touched a cigarette before I just asked him to make him believe I smoke, probably just to look "cool". James and I went into his room where we smoked, I was so scared that my mom will smell it and get mad, so James gave me some of his perfume.

My mom had no idea. My whole family didn't smoke, I know that my dad used to smoke for 3 years but he quit when he married. My brother smoked but my mom didn't know he was hiding it for months. Then I started to buy my own cigarettes I smoked about 4 a day, it made me feel cooler and older. I was spiting all the time, my mom used to tell me that smokers always spit. That's why I tried not to spit in front of her, but one time when I was walking home and didn't know that she was looking out of the window and she saw me spit. But I told her that I ate something disgusting. But my mom found out, she saw a picture of me holding a cigarette.

How stupid of me to let her pick up my developed pictures. She told me to stop and I was like "ok" But I didn't, I smoked for a about a year. Then I had trouble breathing. That is when I realized that I just had to stop. I quit on my 16th birthday. that is 4 years ago and I smoked only a few cigarettes since then but not because I wanted to, I just did it to check my boyfriends reaction. I don't feel like smoking anymore but I really enjoy the smell. I promised my boyfriend that I won't start again so that gives me another reason not to start. But whenever I'm stressed out I feel like smoking but like I said.