Understanding the Risks of Carcinogens
- Longtime TV host Esther Rantzen, 82, suggests asbestos within BBC TV studios during the 80s and 90s may have contributed to her lung cancer diagnosis. She learned she had lung cancer in December 2022. The cancer has since progressed to stage 4, spreading to other parts of her body.
- According to the American Cancer Society, asbestos is a known carcinogen and has been linked to cancer deaths.
- The Mesothelioma and Asbestos Awareness Center says, “When inhaled or ingested, these microscopic asbestos fibers become embedded or lodged in the organs, or linings of the organs, and can develop into cancer or other asbestos-related diseases decades later.”
- Asbestos was often used in building materials before it was banned in the late 1970s. While in low doses, its effects are minimal. However, the asbestos cancer risk substantially increases for people exposed to it for long periods, such as on the job.
Longtime TV host Esther Rantzen, 82, spent over three decades as one of the BBC’s most popular personalities. However, all that time at the studio may have contributed to her eventual diagnosis of lung cancer.
The “That’s Life” host shared that parts of the BBC’s Lime Grove studio building would have large amounts of white dust in the air. She says staff members would call the hallways leading to the break room area “asbestos alley.”
According to the National Cancer Institute, asbestos is the name given to six minerals that occur naturally in the environment, are resistant to heat, fire, and chemicals, and do not conduct electricity.
Asbestos has been classified as a known carcinogen, meaning it causes cancer, by three organizations: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), International Agency for Research on Cancer.
Rantzen told the U.K.-based news outlet “The Times” that although she couldn’t conclusively say what caused her lung cancer diagnosis, she used her diagnosis to implore that “asbestos is removed from buildings everywhere as soon as possible.”
Rantzen joined the BBC in 1965 and had a fruitful career with the network. However, her life changed forever last year when she was diagnosed with lung cancer in December 2022. She learned this past Spring that the cancer had progressed to stage 4, spreading beyond the lungs.
“My diagnosis of stage 4 lung cancer made me realize how very lucky I’ve been in my life, working with Childline and the Silver Line, and meeting so many fascinating and inspiring people, and especially lucky to have spent 21 years working as a producer/presenter of ‘That’s Life!’” Rantzen told the Mirror.
WATCH: Understanding Stage 4 lung cancer.
“Stage 4 lung cancer means that beyond the disease you can see in the chest and the bone and the liver and the brain, there is invariably invisible metastatic disease, and we don’t know which of these spots is going to make you sick,” thoracic oncologist at Boston Medical Center, Dr. Geoffrey Oxnard explains to SurvivorNet.
“We don’t know if it’s the small brain tumor that might give you stroke or seizure symptoms. Or it’s a hidden liver spot that’s going to make your liver become injured and fatigued, and nauseated with time. So, Stage 4 means treating the whole body. Visible and invisible spots,” Dr. Oxnard continued.
While we do not know details of Rantzen’s treatment since her diagnosis, we know that stage 4 lung cancer can still be treated.
Many treatment options are still available, and treatments are improving yearly. These include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, newer targeted drugs, and immunotherapy agents.
As Dr. Raja Flores, chair of the Department of Thoracic Surgery at Mount Sinai Hospital, says, “You have to realize stage 4, again, does not mean death. You can have stage 4s who are alive 8, 9, and 10 years later. There are people out there who are walking around who have had brain metastases, but it’s kept quiet.”
More on Asbestos and Cancer
- Asbestos Causes Cancer, But Now the Government is Opening the Door to its Comeback
- FDA Warns: Some Popular Claire’s Cosmetic Products May Contain Asbestos– How Dangerous Are They?
- East Carolina University Probes Pancreatic Cancer Deaths of Five Professors Working in Same Faculty Building; What You Should Know About Asbestos
Where Is Asbestos Found?
Although fewer industries use asbestos today than decades ago, it still exists in some construction materials.
“Asbestos-containing products, such as amphibole-contaminated vermiculite insulation, remain in many homes and other buildings in the U.S.,” according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
Construction materials produced before 1975 often contained asbestos, including but not limited to ceiling and floor tiles, roofing shingles, walls, and floors used with wood-burning stoves. When asbestos is disturbed, such as from a fire or demolition, the fibers can break away and be released into the air and environment.
Asbestos can still be found today in the following:
- Automobile clutches
- Brake pads
- Corrugated sheeting
- Imported cement pipe
- Roofing materials
- Vinyl tile
When Was Asbestos Banned?
In the late 1970s, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) banned using asbestos in wallboard patching compounds and gas fireplaces because the asbestos fibers in these products could be released into the environment during use, according to the National Cancer Institute.
In 1989, the EPA banned all new uses of asbestos; however, uses developed before 1989 are still allowed. The Washington Post reports the EPA is still trying to ban asbestos entirely.
In 2016, Congress passed the Toxic Substances Control Act, which limits the manufacturing, processing, commercial distribution, use, and disposal of chemical substances that include asbestos.
Asbestos and Cancer Risk
When people are exposed to asbestos, the fibers in the air can be inhaled or swallowed.
Low levels of asbestos are present in the air, water, and soil, but at these low levels, most people do not become sick from their exposure.
Still, the EPA warns people to avoid the area where asbestos may be released, such as with a plant fire, and avoid touching any debris from accidents like this.
However, the dangers from asbestos significantly increase for people exposed for longer periods of time and regularly, according to the National Cancer Institute. That can happen by performing a job that works directly with the material or through substantial environmental contact.
According to the American Cancer Society, studies have shown long-term asbestos exposure can increase the risk for some types of cancer.
Dr. Joseph Friedberg, Head of the Division of Thoracic Surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, says that the cancer mesothelioma is most often caused by asbestos.
The Mesothelioma and Asbestos Awareness Center says, “When inhaled or ingested, these microscopic asbestos fibers become embedded or lodged in the organs, or linings of the organs, and can develop into cancer or other asbestos-related diseases decades later.”
Dr. Friedberg says mesothelioma’s survival rate is generally no longer than one to two years, and it is one of the deadliest cancers.
WATCH: Asbestos is the leading cause of mesothelioma, one of the deadliest cancers.
If you suspect you’ve been exposed to asbestos, experts recommend talking to your doctor, especially if you are a smoker. The National Cancer Institute says that smokers exposed to asbestos “have a risk of developing lung cancer that is greater than the individual risks from asbestos and smoking added together.”
Other Health Risks of Asbestos Exposure
Aside from cancer, asbestos can also cause a lung disease called asbestosis. Irritation caused by asbestos fibers can lead to lung scarring or fibrosis, making breathing hard. People suffering from this disease often experience shortness of breath and chronic cough symptoms.
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
