What is the primary effect of smoking when an individual also works with asbestos?

The primary effect of smoking when an individual also works with asbestos is that it significantly increases the risk of disease. This is due to the synergistic effect that both smoking and asbestos exposure have on respiratory health. When a person is exposed to asbestos fibers, these fibers can remain in the lungs for a long time, leading to scarring and inflammation, which are precursors to serious conditions such as asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma.

Smoking compounds these risks dramatically. The combination of smoking and asbestos exposure does not simply add the individual risks together but rather multiplies them, leading to a much greater likelihood of developing lung-related diseases. Research has shown that individuals who smoke and have been exposed to asbestos are at an exceptionally high risk for developing lung cancer compared to those who have only been exposed to asbestos or who only smoke.

The other choices do not accurately represent the combined effects of smoking and asbestos. For instance, the notion that smoking only impacts lung health overlooks the broader spectrum of diseases potentially exacerbated by this combination, while suggesting that it lowers cancer risk is factually incorrect; smoking is a well-known risk factor for cancer. Finally, asserting that smoking has no impact fails to account for the significant health dangers associated with the interaction between