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Chronic exposure to some chemicals, such as certain forms of some metals, can cause structural changes in the lungs like emphysema. Dusts can also produce a particular type of lung damage called fibrosis. Some dusts, like crystalline silica, cause cells in the lungs to produce fibrous materials which can build up, making the lung rigid and unable to work properly. Asbestos also causes a kind of fibrosis, known as asbestosis, as well as mesothelioma and lung cancer. As well as asbestos, other chemicals that cause lung cancer include: radon, arsenic, some forms of chromium, nickel, cadmium, bischloromethyl ether (BCME), beryllium, soot and environmental tobacco smoke.

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