In real life, lung cancer is most commonly caused by smoking, but it can also be caused by exposure to certain chemicals, radiation, and genetic factors.
: Skyler White explicitly mentions Walt's history of working in application labs 20 years prior. She recalls him complaining about inadequate ventilation hoods while handling dangerous chemicals, suggesting he may have inhaled industrial carcinogens over time.
The cancer serves as the inciting incident that pushes Walter into the drug trade to secure his family’s financial future.
Walter White, the fictional character from the TV series Breaking Bad, was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. The show's storyline indicates that his lung cancer was a result of years of smoking. The series does not delve deeply into the specifics of his diagnosis or the type of lung cancer he had, focusing more on the implications of his mortality on his life choices.
The diagnosis of Walter White 's terminal lung cancer is the catalyst for the entire series Breaking Bad , yet the show never explicitly names a single cause. Walt himself confirms he was never a smoker.