Skip to main content
British Journal of Industrial Medicine logoLink to British Journal of Industrial Medicine
. 1990 Jan;47(1):10–13. doi: 10.1136/oem.47.1.10

Malignant mesothelioma: clustering in a family producing asbestos cement in their home.

K E Otte 1, T I Sigsgaard 1, J Kjaerulff 1
PMCID: PMC1035088  PMID: 2155646

Abstract

In a family with a remarkable aggregation of malignant mesothelioma the father, mother, and a son all died of the condition, whereas two other sons and a daughter were unaffected. From 1944 to 1961 the family produced a material that was used to fix screws in drilled holes and consisted of amosite, gypsum, and sand. It was produced in the basement of their villa and was described as being a dusty job. The father died in 1984 aged 74, the son in 1985 aged 45, and the mother in 1987 aged 79. It is concluded that there is a high risk of malignant mesothelioma after massive exposure to amosite and the risk and latency period are independent of age during the exposure.

Full text

PDF
13

Images in this article

Selected References

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

  1. Andersson M., Olsen J. H. Malignt mesoteliom i Danmark 1943-1980. Kraeftstatistik 9. Ugeskr Laeger. 1984 Apr 2;146(14):1085–1087. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Borow M., Conston A., Livornese L., Schalet N. Mesothelioma following exposure to asbestos: a review of 72 cases. Chest. 1973 Nov;64(5):641–646. doi: 10.1378/chest.64.5.641. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Driscoll R. J., Mulligan W. J., Schultz D., Candelaria A. Malignant mesothelioma. A cluster in a native American pueblo. N Engl J Med. 1988 Jun 2;318(22):1437–1438. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198806023182205. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Hurst G. A., Spivey C. G., Matlage W. T., Miller J. M., Faulk G., Hieger L. R., McLarty J. W., Greenberg S. D. The Tyler Asbestos Workers Program. I. A medical surveillance model and method. Arch Environ Health. 1979 Nov-Dec;34(6):432–439. doi: 10.1080/00039896.1979.10667445. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. MCNULTY J. C. Malignant pleural mesothelioma in an asbestos worker. Med J Aust. 1962 Dec 15;49(2):953–954. doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.1962.tb24396.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. McDonald A. D., McDonald J. C. Epidemiologic surveillance of mesothelioma in Canada. Can Med Assoc J. 1973 Sep 1;109(5):359–362. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Risberg B., Nickels J., Wågermark J. Familial clustering of malignant mesothelioma. Cancer. 1980 May 1;45(9):2422–2427. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(19800501)45:9<2422::aid-cncr2820450930>3.0.co;2-z. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. SELIKOFF I. J., CHURG J., HAMMOND E. C. RELATION BETWEEN EXPOSURE TO ASBESTOS AND MESOTHELIOMA. N Engl J Med. 1965 Mar 18;272:560–565. doi: 10.1056/NEJM196503182721104. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Seidman H., Selikoff I. J., Gelb S. K. Mortality experience of amosite asbestos factory workers: dose-response relationships 5 to 40 years after onset of short-term work exposure. Am J Ind Med. 1986;10(5-6):479–514. doi: 10.1002/ajim.4700100506. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. WAGNER J. C., SLEGGS C. A., MARCHAND P. Diffuse pleural mesothelioma and asbestos exposure in the North Western Cape Province. Br J Ind Med. 1960 Oct;17:260–271. doi: 10.1136/oem.17.4.260. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Whitwell F., Rawcliffe R. M. Diffuse malignant pleural mesothelioma and asbestos exposure. Thorax. 1971 Jan;26(1):6–22. doi: 10.1136/thx.26.1.6. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

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

RESOURCES