WaPo article here on asbestos. We had a pulm guy during one of our rotations give a talk about the predominant type of cancer from asbestos, called mesothelioma. He emphasized how rare it was for someone to have mesothelioma with asbestos as their only risk factor. Moreover, most patients with mesothelioma were both exposed to asbestos AND smoked cigarettes.

The New York Times > Washington > Bush Calls for Change in Handling Asbestos Lawsuits

John Hocking
http://www.guide-to-mesothelioma.com