Asbestos is associated with which two diseases?

• A. Mesothelioma and Asbestosis
• B. Lung Cancer and Asbestosis
• C. Mesothelioma and Lung Cancer
• D. Silicosis and Mesothelioma

Answer: (C)

Asbestos exposure markedly increases the risk of two diseases in particular: mesothelioma and lung cancer. Mesothelioma is a cancer of the pleural lining around the lungs (and also the lining of the abdomen) that is strongly linked to asbestos exposure, with latency of decades. Lung cancer risk also rises with asbestos exposure, and this risk is amplified in people who smoke. While asbestosis—a fibrotic lung disease—is another consequence of asbestos, it is not one of the two cancers most characteristic of asbestos exposure. That combination—mesothelioma and lung cancer—best captures the well-established asbestos-related diseases.