Mesothelioma in the Quebec chrysotile mining region

Conference · · Archives of Environmental Health; (USA)

OSTI ID:5760495

Case, B W ^[1]; Armstrong, B; McDonald, J C ^[2]; Sebastien, P ^[3]

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1. Univ. of Pittsburgh, PA (USA) McGill Univ., Toronto, Ontario (Canada)
2. McGill Univ., Toronto, Ontario (Canada)
3. McGill Univ., Toronto, Ontario (Canada) Groupe Pneumopathies Professionnelles, Verneuil en Halatte (France)

Previous studies of incidence of mesothelioma and lung tissue burden in workers and nonworkers in the Quebec chrysotile mining region showed that mesothelioma incidence is very slightly increased in the mining area, and that tremolite, or even commercial amphiboles, are responsible (and chrysotile is not). Recently, one of us (BC) noted an increase in the numbers of cases of mesothelioma coming to autopsy in the mining region. There were 19 cases, all confirmed histologically, since 1982, vs. 6 that we know of in the previous 10 y. Eighteen were occupationally exposed; one was the wife of chrysotile miner/miller. We examined lung tissue from 9 cases matched to controls of the same sex and age, dying in the same years in the same hospitals, without evidence of malignant disease. We found an excess in cases of typical asbestos bodies; tremolite fibers; and total amphiboles. In univariate linear relative risk analysis, both longer (>8 {mu}m) and shorter fibers are significant. Multivariate analysis indicates that while adjustment of chrysotile lung content for tremolite content eliminates any statistical effect of chrysotile, the reverse comparison retains significance.

• OSTI ID: 5760495
• Report Number(s): CONF-890937-; CODEN: AEHLA
• Journal Information: Archives of Environmental Health; (USA), Vol. 45:5; Conference: 1. annual meeting of the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology, Upton, NY (USA), 13-15 Sep 1989; 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
MAN
MINERS
MINING
NEOPLASMS
OCCUPATIONAL DISEASES
QUEBEC
ANIMALS
CANADA
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
DISEASES
HAZARDS
MAMMALS
MINERALS
NORTH AMERICA
PERSONNEL
PRIMATES
VERTEBRATES
560300* - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
550900 - Pathology