Environmental pleural plaques in residents of a Quebec chrysotile mining town

Journal Article · Fri Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 1988 · Chest; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1378/chest.94.1.58· OSTI ID:6908114

Churg, A; DePaoli, L

We report four cases of pleural plaques found at autopsy in individuals who resided in or near the chrysotile mining town of Thetford Mines, Quebec, and who had never been employed in the chrysotile mining and milling industry. Three of these patients were farmers, and one was a road construction worker. Lung asbestos content of these cases was compared with that of a group of nine persons living in the same vicinity who did not have pleural plaques. The plaque group was found to have an equal chrysotile content but about a fourfold elevation in median tremolite content, a statistically significant increase. Fiber sizes were the same in both groups. Also, one plaque case had an elevated level of relatively long titanium oxide fibers. These observations suggest that environmental pleural plaques in this region of Quebec are probably caused by exposure to tremolite derived from local soil and rock and that other types of mineral fibers such as titanium oxide may occasionally also be the cause of such lesions.

• Research Organization: Univ. of British Columbia, Vancouver (Canada)
• OSTI ID: 6908114
• Journal Information: Chest; (United States), Vol. 94:1
• 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
TISSUE DISTRIBUTION
PLEURA
PLAQUE FORMATION
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM DISEASES
EPIDEMIOLOGY
TITANIUM
BIOLOGICAL ACCUMULATION
ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE
LUNGS
MINING
PATIENTS
QUEBEC
TOXICITY
BODY
CANADA
DISEASES
DISTRIBUTION
ELEMENTS
MEMBRANES
METALS
NORTH AMERICA
ORGANS
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
SEROUS MEMBRANES
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
560300* - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
550900 - Pathology