It's been a common misconception that only smokers develop lung cancer.  But for those of us familiar with mesothelioma, we know that lung disease can strike even the most unlikely victims.

The New York Times took a look recently non-smokers and lung cancer, using information from an enormous new study conducted in Europe, North America, and Asia.  The study examined 2.4 million nonsmokers who had lung cancer.  Researchers found that the overall risk of lung cancer to non-smokers is not increasing, but non-smokers will continue to comprise 10-15% of lung cancer patients.

Though the reason non-smokers develop lung cancer remains unclear, researchers suspect it comes down to genetic susceptibility combined with exposure to cancer-causing substances like asbestos, radon, certain solvents and other people’s tobacco smoke.

According to the New York Times, "Male nonsmokers are more likely than female nonsmokers to die of the disease, the study found, and the overall risk to nonsmokers is not increasing."

If nothing else, the study clarifies the severity of the risk of smoking: a man who never smoked has a 1.1 in 100 risk of dying from lung cancer, but it jumps to 1 in 5 if he smokes. In women, the risk goes from 0.8 in 100 to 1 in 8.  But there is hope: currently, about 59 percent of people in the United States say they never smoked, up from 44 percent in 1960.

The study identified some ambiguities that certainly warrant further investigation.  For example, there are relatively high rates of lung cancer among nonsmoking women in parts of Pacific Rim countries.  A leading researcher attributed this to the cooking fumes given off by woks, which probably contain all kinds of carcinogens, and added that the most likely culprit was cooking oil because it vaporizes at high temperatures.

The study was solid examination of the causes that claim the lives of 16,000 to 24,000 lung cancer patients annually.