Occult exposure to asbestos in steel workers revealed by bronchoalveolar lavage

Journal Article · · Archives of Environmental Health; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1080/00039896.1990.10118746· OSTI ID:5680493

Corhay, J -L; Delavignette, J -P; Bury, T; Saint-Remy, P; Radermecker, M -F ^[1]

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1. CHU, Liege (Belgium)

To investigate the asbestos burden in a steelplant environment, we counted asbestos bodies (ABs) in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of 65 steel workers who had retired during the previous 5 y. They had worked for at least 15 y in the same area of the plant (coke oven or blast furnace) as maintenance or production workers. On the basis of occupational anamnesis, 28 had occasional past professional exposure to asbestos; the remaining 37 workers denied any contact with asbestos. A total of 54 white-collar workers who had no occupational exposure to asbestos were included in the study as controls. An increased prevalence and concentration of ABs was found in the BALF of steel workers. Electron microscopy and EDAX analysis of AB from steel workers revealed that the core fibers were mainly amphiboles. More ABs were found in the BALF of maintenance workers than in production workers. However, the BALF from steel workers who denied any contact with asbestos revealed an increased AB burden v. controls. This demonstrates that steel workers may be subject to an occult exposure to amphiboles in the steelplant environment.

• OSTI ID: 5680493
• Journal Information: Archives of Environmental Health; (USA), Vol. 45:5; ISSN 0003-9896
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
ASBESTOS
HEALTH HAZARDS
AMPHIBOLE
CHRONIC EXPOSURE
MAN
METAL INDUSTRY
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM DISEASES
STEELS
ALLOYS
ANIMALS
DISEASES
HAZARDS
INDUSTRY
IRON ALLOYS
IRON BASE ALLOYS
MAMMALS
MINERALS
PRIMATES
VERTEBRATES
560300* - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
550900 - Pathology