Skip to main content
PMC home page
British Journal of Industrial Medicine logoLink to British Journal of Industrial Medicine
. 1987 Aug;44(8):550–558. doi: 10.1136/oem.44.8.550

Ferruginous bodies and pulmonary fibrosis in dead low to moderately exposed asbestos cement workers: histological examination.

L G Johansson 1, M P Albin 1, K M Jakobsson 1, H E Welinder 1, P J Ranstam 1, R G Attewell 1
PMCID: PMC1007874  PMID: 3651354

Abstract

Histological slides from the lungs of 89 dead asbestos cement workers have been examined with respect to ferruginous bodies and fibrosis. The results have been compared with individually matched controls with no known exposure to asbestos, and related to asbestos exposure, expressed as duration of exposure and cumulative asbestos dose, and smoking habits. The asbestos cement workers studied had been employed for on average 15 years, with a mean cumulative dose of 26 fibre-years per ml (f-y/ml). Clear dose-response relations between exposure (duration of exposure and cumulative asbestos dose) and level of ferruginous bodies were found. An association was evident already at a low cumulative dose (1-10 f-y/ml). Fibrosis was more common and more pronounced among the exposed workers than among controls. An association between ferruginous bodies and fibrosis was also found. Among the controls, but not among exposed workers, there was an association between smoking history and fibrosis.

Full text

PDF
550

Images in this article

553Image
on p.553

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Ashcroft T. Asbestos bodies in routine necropsies on Tyneside: a pathological and social study. Br Med J. 1968 Mar 9;1(5592):614–618. doi: 10.1136/bmj.1.5592.614. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Ashcroft T., Heppleston A. G. The optical and electron microscopic determination of pulmonary asbestos fibre concentration and its relation to the human pathological reaction. J Clin Pathol. 1973 Mar;26(3):224–234. doi: 10.1136/jcp.26.3.224. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Auerbach O., Garfinkel L., Hammond E. C. Relation of smoking and age to findings in lung parenchyma: a microscopic study. Chest. 1974 Jan;65(1):29–35. doi: 10.1378/chest.65.1.29. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Baeten J., Helsen J., Deruyttere A. Nature, structure, and properties of asbestos cement dust. Br J Ind Med. 1980 Feb;37(1):33–41. doi: 10.1136/oem.37.1.33. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Becklake M. R. Asbestos-related diseases of the lungs and pleura: current clinical issues. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1982 Aug;126(2):187–194. doi: 10.1164/arrd.1982.126.2.187. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Betta P. G. Corpuscoli dell'asbesto nella popolazione generale della provincia di Alessandria: indagine su materiale autoptico e correlazioni tra numero di corpuscoli, professione e residenza. Med Lav. 1982 Jan-Feb;73(1):58–64. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Churg A. M., Warnock M. L. Asbestos and other ferruginous bodies: their formation and clinical significance. Am J Pathol. 1981 Mar;102(3):447–456. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Churg A., Wood P. Observations on the distribution of asbestos fibers in human lungs. Environ Res. 1983 Aug;31(2):374–380. doi: 10.1016/0013-9351(83)90015-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Finkelstein M. M. A study of dose-response relationships for asbestos associated disease. Br J Ind Med. 1985 May;42(5):319–325. doi: 10.1136/oem.42.5.319. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Finkelstein M. M. Asbestosis in long-term employees of an Ontario asbestos-cement factory. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1982 May;125(5):496–501. doi: 10.1164/arrd.1982.125.5.496. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Finkelstein M. M., Vingilis J. J. Radiographic abnormalities among asbestos-cement workers. An exposure-response study. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1984 Jan;129(1):17–22. doi: 10.1164/arrd.1984.129.1.17. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Gibbs G. W., LaChance M. Dust-fiber relationships in the Quebec chrysotile industry. Arch Environ Health. 1974 Feb;28(2):69–71. doi: 10.1080/00039896.1974.10666439. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Hammad Y. Y., Diem J., Weill H. Evaluation of dust exposure in asbestos cement manufacturing operations. Am Ind Hyg Assoc J. 1979 Jun;40(6):490–495. doi: 10.1080/15298667991429877. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Hammond E. C., Selikoff I. J., Seidman H. Asbestos exposure, cigarette smoking and death rates. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1979;330:473–490. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1979.tb18749.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Hägerstrand I., Seifert B. Asbestos bodies and pleural plaques in human lungs at necropsy. Acta Pathol Microbiol Scand A. 1973 Jul;81(4):457–460. doi: 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1973.tb00492.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Jones R. N., Diem J. E., Glindmeyer H., Weill H., Gilson J. C. Progression of asbestos radiographic abnormalities: relationships to estimates of dust exposure and annual decline in lung function. IARC Sci Publ. 1980;(30):537–543. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Kilburn K. H. Cigarette smoking does not produce or enhance the radiologic appearance of pulmonary fibrosis. Am J Ind Med. 1981;2(3):305–308. doi: 10.1002/ajim.4700020311. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. McMillan G. H., Pethybridge R. J., Sheers G. Effect of smoking on attack rates of pulmonary and pleural lesions related to exposure to asbestos dust. Br J Ind Med. 1980 Aug;37(3):268–272. doi: 10.1136/oem.37.3.268. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Pooley F. D. Asbestos bodies, their formation, composition and character. Environ Res. 1972 Dec;5(4):363–379. doi: 10.1016/0013-9351(72)90039-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Roberts G. H. Asbestos bodies in lungs at necropsy. J Clin Pathol. 1967 Jul;20(4):570–573. doi: 10.1136/jcp.20.4.570. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Roggli V. L., Pratt P. C., Brody A. R. Asbestos content of lung tissue in asbestos associated diseases: a study of 110 cases. Br J Ind Med. 1986 Jan;43(1):18–28. doi: 10.1136/oem.43.1.18. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Roggli V. L., Pratt P. C. Numbers of asbestos bodies on iron-stained tissue sections in relation to asbestos body counts in lung tissue digests. Hum Pathol. 1983 Apr;14(4):355–361. doi: 10.1016/s0046-8177(83)80122-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Steele R. H., Thomson K. J. Asbestos bodies in the lung: Southampton (UK) and Wellington (New Zealand). Br J Ind Med. 1982 Nov;39(4):349–354. doi: 10.1136/oem.39.4.349. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Thomas H. F., Benjamin I. T., Elwood P. C., Sweetnam P. M. Further follow-up study of workers from an asbestos cement factory. Br J Ind Med. 1982 Aug;39(3):273–276. doi: 10.1136/oem.39.3.273. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Um C. H. Study of the secular trend in asbestos bodies in lungs in London 1936-66. Br Med J. 1971 May 1;2(5756):248–251. doi: 10.1136/bmj.2.5756.248. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Wehner A. P., Dagle G. E., Cannon W. C. Development of an animal model, techniques, and an exposure system to study the effects of asbestos cement dust inhalation. Environ Res. 1978 Jul;16(1-3):393–407. doi: 10.1016/0013-9351(78)90172-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Weill H., Ziskind M. M., Waggenspack C., Rossiter C. E. Lung function consequences of dust exposure in asbestos cement manufacturing plants. Arch Environ Health. 1975 Feb;30(2):88–97. doi: 10.1080/00039896.1975.10666650. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Weiss W. Cigarette smoking, asbestos, and pulmonary fibrosis. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1971 Aug;104(2):223–227. doi: 10.1164/arrd.1971.104.2.223. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Weiss W., Theodos P. A. Pleuropulmonary disease among asbestos workers in relation to smoking and type of exposure. J Occup Med. 1978 May;20(5):341–345. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from British Journal of Industrial Medicine are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES