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Multiple myeloma, a rare cancer affecting plasma blood cells, has a possible link to exposure to known carcinogens like asbestos, benzene, and radiation. However, since the exact cause of multiple myeloma is not known, asbestos is not currently considered a contributing factor to most multiple myeloma cases.
The U.S. National Library of Medicine’s MedlinePlus website states that, “no one knows the exact causes of multiple myeloma.”[1] Materials referenced by the U.S. department of Veterans Affairs (VA) also state that the cause of multiple myeloma is not known, although radiation exposure and exposure to substances like benzene or asbestos may be a contributing factor.[2]
According to materials provided by the American Society of Cancer Oncologists, age and race tend to be the strongest associated risk factors for developing multiple myeloma.[3] The disease occurs most often in people over the age of 60, with the average age at diagnosis being 70.
People under 40 constitute only 2% of diagnoses. People who are black (African American) also tend to develop myeloma at twice the rate of white (caucasian) people.
A few studies do link self-reported asbestos exposure to a higher risk of developing multiple myeloma.[4] A British study, in particular, noted a significant trend in risk correlated to increasing years of occupational exposure.
Firefighters who responded to the September, 11 World Trade Center attacks also report a higher than average occurrence of multiple myeloma.[5] Multiple subjects in the study also showed signs of myeloma precursor disease. These subjects all acquired their condition at a lower-than-typical median age of 57 years.
Despite these anecdotal observations, a strong statistical or clinical link between asbestos exposure and multiple myeloma has not been established. A 1999 review of 199 deaths in railway carriage workers exposed to asbestos found that only 3 had a multiple myeloma diagnosis.[6]
One study even found a negative statistical correlation between asbestos exposure and multiple myeloma.[7]
Overall, the evidence that asbestos exposure can cause multiple myeloma exists anecdotally but not scientifically. Until the causes and biological mechanisms of multiple myeloma are better understood, experts cannot conclusively determine that asbestos exposure elevates your risk of developing multiple myeloma.
[1] https://medlineplus.gov/multiplemyeloma.html
[2] https://www.va.gov/vetapp11/files1/1106086.txt
[3] https://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/multiple-myeloma/risk-factors-and-prevention
[4] https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ijc.22718
[5] https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaoncology/fullarticle/2678962
[6] https://watermark.silverchair.com/49-8-536.pdf
[7] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1012073/
