Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is cancer that begins in the tissues of the lungs. The National Cancer Institute divides it into two main types: non-small cell lung cancer, which is the most common, and small cell lung cancer, which tends to grow and spread faster. Symptoms can include a cough that does not go away, coughing up blood, chest pain, shortness of breath, and unexplained weight loss.

Smoking causes most lung cancers, but nonsmokers get it too. The NCI lists other risk factors including secondhand smoke, workplace exposure to asbestos, arsenic, chromium, beryllium, nickel, soot, or tar, radiation, radon, and air pollution. The EPA estimates radon is responsible for about 21,000 lung cancer deaths every year in the United States, about 2,900 of them among people who never smoked.

Because so many causes are environmental or occupational, lung cancer is common in toxic exposure litigation. Asbestos claims, often paid through bankruptcy trust funds as well as lawsuits, include lung cancer alongside mesothelioma. Workers exposed to silica dust, including those cutting engineered stone countertops, have sued over lung disease. Veterans exposed to burn pits may qualify for VA benefits under the PACT Act for certain respiratory cancers. For smokers, proving that a specific exposure caused the cancer is harder but not impossible, since asbestos and smoking together raise risk sharply.

Keep a detailed work history, including employers, job sites, and products handled. See our pages on mesothelioma and asbestos claims, engineered stone silicosis lawsuits, and burn pit claims for veterans.