Skip to main content
NCBI home page
British Journal of Industrial Medicine logoLink to British Journal of Industrial Medicine
. 1990 Nov;47(11):767–774. doi: 10.1136/oem.47.11.767

Mineral fibres, fibrosis, and asbestos bodies in lung tissue from deceased asbestos cement workers.

M Albin 1, L Johansson 1, F D Pooley 1, K Jakobsson 1, R Attewell 1, R Mitha 1
PMCID: PMC1035268  PMID: 2173948

Abstract

Lung tissue from 76 deceased asbestos cement workers (seven with mesothelioma) exposed to chrysotile asbestos and small amounts of amphiboles, has been studied by transmission electron microscopy, together with lung tissue from 96 controls. The exposed workers with mesothelioma had a significantly higher total content of asbestos fibre in the lungs than those without mesothelioma, who in turn, had higher concentrations than the controls (medians 189, 50, and 29 x 10(6) fibres/g (f/g]. Chrysotile was the major type of fibre. The differences were most pronounced for the amphibole fibres (62, 4.7, and 0.15 f/g), especially crocidolite (54, 1.8 and less than 0.001 f/g), but were evident also for tremolite (2.9, less than 0.001, and less than 0.001 f/g) and anthophyllite (1.7, less than 0.001, and less than 0.001 f/g). For amosite, there was no statistically significant difference between lungs from workers with and without mesothelioma; the lungs of workers had, however, higher concentrations than the controls. Strong correlations were found between duration of exposure and content of amphibole fibres in the lungs. Asbestos bodies, counted by light microscopy, were significantly correlated with the amphibole but not with the chrysotile contents. Fibrosis was correlated with the tremolite but not the chrysotile content in lungs from both exposed workers and controls. Overall, similar results were obtained using fibre counts and estimates of mass.

Full text

PDF
767

Selected References

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

  1. Albin M., Jakobsson K., Attewell R., Johansson L., Welinder H. Mortality and cancer morbidity in cohorts of asbestos cement workers and referents. Br J Ind Med. 1990 Sep;47(9):602–610. doi: 10.1136/oem.47.9.602. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Churg A. Chrysotile, tremolite, and malignant mesothelioma in man. Chest. 1988 Mar;93(3):621–628. doi: 10.1378/chest.93.3.621. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Dement J. M., Harris R. L., Jr, Symons M. J., Shy C. M. Exposures and mortality among chrysotile asbestos workers. Part II: mortality. Am J Ind Med. 1983;4(3):421–433. doi: 10.1002/ajim.4700040304. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Finkelstein M. M. Mortality among long-term employees of an Ontario asbestos-cement factory. Br J Ind Med. 1983 May;40(2):138–144. doi: 10.1136/oem.40.2.138. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Gardner M. J., Winter P. D., Pannett B., Powell C. A. Follow up study of workers manufacturing chrysotile asbestos cement products. Br J Ind Med. 1986 Nov;43(11):726–732. doi: 10.1136/oem.43.11.726. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Gylseth B., Churg A., Davis J. M., Johnson N., Morgan A., Mowe G., Rogers A., Roggli V. Analysis of asbestos fibers and asbestos bodies in tissue samples from human lung. An international interlaboratory trial. Scand J Work Environ Health. 1985 Apr;11(2):107–110. doi: 10.5271/sjweh.2246. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Gylseth B., Mowé G., Wannag A. Fibre type and concentration in the lungs of workers in an asbestos cement factory. Br J Ind Med. 1983 Nov;40(4):375–379. doi: 10.1136/oem.40.4.375. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Hughes J. M., Weill H., Hammad Y. Y. Mortality of workers employed in two asbestos cement manufacturing plants. Br J Ind Med. 1987 Mar;44(3):161–174. doi: 10.1136/oem.44.3.161. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Johansson L. G., Albin M. P., Jakobsson K. M., Welinder H. E., Ranstam P. J., Attewell R. G. Ferruginous bodies and pulmonary fibrosis in dead low to moderately exposed asbestos cement workers: histological examination. Br J Ind Med. 1987 Aug;44(8):550–558. doi: 10.1136/oem.44.8.550. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Langer A. M., Nolan R. P., Constantopoulos S. H., Moutsopoulos H. M. Association of Metsovo lung and pleural mesothelioma with exposure to tremolite-containing whitewash. Lancet. 1987 Apr 25;1(8539):965–967. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(87)90305-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. McDonald A. D., Fry J. S., Woolley A. J., McDonald J. Dust exposure and mortality in an American chrysotile textile plant. Br J Ind Med. 1983 Nov;40(4):361–367. doi: 10.1136/oem.40.4.361. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. McDonald J. C., Armstrong B., Case B., Doell D., McCaughey W. T., McDonald A. D., Sébastien P. Mesothelioma and asbestos fiber type. Evidence from lung tissue analyses. Cancer. 1989 Apr 15;63(8):1544–1547. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(19890415)63:8<1544::aid-cncr2820630815>3.0.co;2-g. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. McDonald J. C., Liddell F. D., Gibbs G. W., Eyssen G. E., McDonald A. D. Dust exposure and mortality in chrysotile mining, 1910-75. Br J Ind Med. 1980 Feb;37(1):11–24. doi: 10.1136/oem.37.1.11. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. McDonald J. C., Sebastien P., Armstrong B. Radiological survey of past and present vermiculite miners exposed to tremolite. Br J Ind Med. 1986 Jul;43(7):445–449. doi: 10.1136/oem.43.7.445. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Ohlson C. G., Hogstedt C. Lung cancer among asbestos cement workers. A Swedish cohort study and a review. Br J Ind Med. 1985 Jun;42(6):397–402. doi: 10.1136/oem.42.6.397. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Pooley F. D. An examination of the fibrous mineral content of asbestos lung tissue from the Canadian chrysotile mining industry. Environ Res. 1976 Dec;12(3):281–298. doi: 10.1016/0013-9351(76)90038-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Pooley F. D., Clark N. J. Quantitative assessment of inorganic fibrous particulates in dust samples with an analytical transmission electron microscope. Ann Occup Hyg. 1979;22(3):253–271. doi: 10.1093/annhyg/22.3.253. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. 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]
  20. Sebastien P., Fondimare A., Bignon J., Monchaux G., Desbordes J., Bonnaud G. Topographic distribution of asbestos fibres in human lung in relation to occupational and non-occupational exposure. Inhaled Part. 1975 Sep;4(Pt 2):435–446. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Wagner J. C., Moncrieff C. B., Coles R., Griffiths D. M., Munday D. E. Correlation between fibre content of the lungs and disease in naval dockyard workers. Br J Ind Med. 1986 Jun;43(6):391–395. doi: 10.1136/oem.43.6.391. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Warnock M. L., Wolery G. Asbestos bodies or fibers and the diagnosis of asbestosis. Environ Res. 1987 Oct;44(1):29–44. doi: 10.1016/s0013-9351(87)80084-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

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

RESOURCES