Pleural mesothelioma and neighborhood asbestos exposure
Widespread use and occupational exposure to asbestos in US shipyards, particularly during World War II, is one reason for the currently high incidence of asbestos-related diseases, including lung cancer and mesothelioma. There is typically a long latency period between asbestos exposure and resulting disease. A case report is presented which lends additional credence to the earlier suggestion that exposure to asbestos in the neighborhood of the shipyard may be related to the development of malignant mesothelioma in this particular patient. The identification of amosite asbestos fibers in the lung tissue of the patient provides plausible evidence for this etiologic connection. Amosite asbestos is not found in the lungs of persons from the general population, and its occurrence, therefore, indicates either an occupational exposure or an exposure to a specific environmental source. Although only a very small portion of the total amount of asbestos used consists of amosite, this asbestos type is commonly used in shipbuilding and repair and was used a great deal in the shipyard adjacent to which our patient worked.
- Research Organization:
- Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, NY
- OSTI ID:
- 5928242
- Journal Information:
- JAMA, J. Am. Med. Assoc.; (United States), Vol. 252:1
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Lung asbestos burden in shipyard and construction workers with mesothelioma: Comparison with burdens in subjects with asbestosis of lung cancer
Pulmonary asbestos body counts and electron probe analysis of asbestos body cores in patients with mesothelioma: a study of 25 cases
Related Subjects
ASBESTOS
BIOLOGICAL ACCUMULATION
LUNGS
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
NEOPLASMS
ETIOLOGY
AUTOPSY
ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE PATHWAY
LATENCY PERIOD
PATHOLOGY
PATIENTS
BODY
DIAGNOSTIC TECHNIQUES
DISEASES
ORGANS
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
560306* - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology- Man- (-1987)