Epidemiology of asbestos-related diseases
Although there were several anecdotal reports from earlier times, the first well documented case of asbestosis was reported in 1906 in a worker engaged in the production of asbestos textiles. In 1917 a report of ten cases of pulmonary fibrosis occurring at a Pennsylvania facility was published. The first detailed epidemiologic study of asbestos workers was undertaken in Great Britain in 1928. The first indication that asbestos might be a human carcinogen came in 1935 with the report of three independently diagnosed cases of lung cancer detected during autopsy of asbestos workers. Epidemiologic studies have now repeatedly demonstrated an association between asbestos exposure and increased mortality due to asbestosis, lung cancer, pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma, and gastrointestinal cancer. In some studies asbestos exposure has also been associated with increased risks for laryngeal cancer and cancer of the buccal cavity and pharynx. Studies which have been concerned with exposure to crocidolite, amosite, anthophyllite, tremolite, and chrysotile were highlighted. Other topics reviewed included asbestos contamination of other minerals, the combined effects of asbestos exposure and tobacco smoke, mortality and pleural radiographic changes, and mixed fiber exposures.
- Research Organization:
- National Inst. for Occupational Safety and Health, Morgantown, WV (USA). Div. of Respiratory Disease Studies
- OSTI ID:
- 6936309
- Report Number(s):
- PB-90-155904/XAB
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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