15% of UK Lung Cancer Deaths Are Non-Smokers

Research published by the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine earlier this year shows that growing numbers of non-smokers and never-smokers are being diagnosed with, and dying from, lung cancer.

Around 6,000 Britons who have never smoked now die due to the disease each year, with many blaming air-pollution, second-hand smoke and car exhaust fumes. Some doctors have even recommended removing wood-burning stoves from houses due to the soot and pollution that they can cause.

According to the report’s authors: “If considered as a separate entity, lung cancer in never-smokers is the eighth most common cause of cancer-related death in the UK and the seventh most prevalent cancer in the world”. A ‘never-smoker’ is classed as someone who has smoked fewer than 100 cigarettes in their life.

In many cases the cancers are not discovered or diagnosed by doctors as due to the patient not having been a smoker, doctors often look for other potential issues or confuse symptoms with those from other, less serious ailments.

In addition to these figures, around 20% of lung cancers in non-smoking men are due to exposure to contaminants within the workplace. Substances such as asbestos, silica and cadmium can cause untold damage to the lungs, but symptoms are commonly overlooked and the damage that is done can take years to present itself.

Many workers are exposed to dangerous fumes, dusts and chemicals during their working lives, and many do not go on to develop any long-term issues. However, no matter how your lungs are damaged, if it occurs as a result of exposure to hazardous substances within your workplace, or as a result of your job, then you could well be eligible to make a claim for compensation.

Employers have a duty to protect the health and welfare of their employees, and this includes ensuring that the air they breathe is safe to do so. If you or someone you care for has suffered due to poor air-quality, dust, fumes or chemical exposure in the workplace, you should contact one of our team of friendly, highly experienced solicitors so that we can listen to your case and advise you if it is appropriate to make a claim for compensation.