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. 2013 Oct 31;10(11):5629–5670. doi: 10.3390/ijerph10115629

Table 4.

Domestic exposure studies.

Author and Year Population or Task Studied Asbestos Fiber Type Reported Exposure Information
Studies reporting measurements of airborne or settled dust in homes of asbestos workers
Nicholson et al. 1980 [81] Homes of chrysotile miners in Copperopolis, California and Baie Verte, Newfoundland Chrysotile Homes of miners: 100 to < 5,000 ng/m3 (approx. 0.003–0.15 f/cc a,b) (nc = 13)
Homes of non-miners (Baie Verte): 32, 45, 65 ng/m3
Selikoff and Lee 1978 [82] Settled dust in asbestos workers’ homes Amosite “...small amounts of amosite were found 20–25 years later in the settled dust of asbestos workers' houses from factory operations over the period 1941–1954, and up to 400 yards downwind in the neighboring houses of nonasbestos workers”.
WHO d 1986 [83] Asbestos miners’ homes NR Residences of asbestos miners in South Africa:
Mean = 0.006 f/cc (range, 0.002–0.011 f/cc); Para-occupational range: 0.01–1.0 f/cc
Study of clothing and laundering
Sawyer et al. 1977 [85] Asbestos abatement workers Chrysotile Mean of personal samples (n = 12): 0.4 f/cc (max = 1.2 f/cc)
Mean of area samples:
During picking up clothing (n = 4): 0.4 f/cc
Loading washer (n = 5): 0.4 f/cc
Loading dryer (n = 6): 0.0 f/cc
Exposure simulation studies
Jiang et al. 2008 [88] Unpacking and repacking clutches Chrysotile 30 min PCM e -adjusted mean following clothing handling = 0.002 ± 0.002 f/cc (n = 4)
Estimated 8 h TWA f= 0.0001 f/cc.
Madl et al. 2008 [89] Unpacking and repacking brakes Chrysotile 30 min PCM-adjusted mean (range) following clothing handling (n = 5):
0.011 f/cc (0.002–0.015 f/cc )
Madl et al. 2009 [90] Mechanics performing brake repair on heavy equipment Chrysotile 30 min PCM-adjusted mean (range) following clothing handling:
For primary worker (n = 2): 0.036 f/cc (0.032–0.039 f/cc)
For bystander (n = 2): 0.010 f/cc (0.003–0.018 f/cc)
Mowat et al. 2007 [91] Roofers removing dried material from laundered clothing Chrysotile 30 min PCM-E g mean (n = 12): 0.0017 f/cc (range = 0–0.011 f/cc)
Calculated TWAs = 0.003–0.002 f/cc
Weir et al. 2001 [92] Brake mechanics Chrysotile Agitation of operator’s coveralls
(30 min) = 0.72 f/cc
Background concentration in laboratory ≤ 0.065 f/cc
Lung burden studies
Dawson et al. 1993 [93] Women with mesothelioma (n = 170) Mixed Women with domestic exposure (n = 14):
Total amphiboles = 4.9 × 106 f/g h (range = 0–251) Chrysotile = 12.7 × 106 f/g
(range = 0–2506)
Control group (n = 31):
Total amphiboles = 0.04 × 106 f/g
(range = 0–1.0);
Unknown = 4.4 × 106 f/g (range = 0–20.1)
Dodson et al. 2003 [94] Women with mesothelioma (n = 15) Mixed 4 women had potential domestic exposure through their father’s/husband’s work;
2/4 had ferruginous bodies (wife of crocidolite worker and wife of laborer/ship scaler/cement worker/etc.);
1 had uncoated amosite and tremolite (daughter of shipyard worker);
1 had uncoated tremolite and no commercial amphiboles (daughter of maintenance worker and wife of shipyard worker/painter/etc.
Giarelli et al. 1992 [36] Family members of shipyard workers with mesothelioma in Trieste, Italy --- 5/170 (2.9%) cases had domestic exposure, cleaned clothes of spouse:80% had no AB i
20% had few AB (1–5 AB/section)
Gibbs et al. 1989 [95] Mesothelioma cases with para-occupational exposure (n = 13) Mixed Mean (range) fiber counts of Group II para-occupational, e.g., wives of males working with asbestos (n = 13):
Total: 277.8 (5.6–2507)
Amosite: 1.5 (0–6.1)
Crocidolite: 31.8 (0–251.1)
Chrysotile: 218.9 (1.9–2507)
Mean (range) fiber counts of Group V, unexposed (n = 21):
Total: 42.5 (0–188.3)
Amosite: 0.7 (0–4.6)
Crocidolite: 5.5 (0–101.7)
Chrysotile: 19.6 (0–76.5)
Units in fiber × 106/g dry lung
Gibbs et al. 1989 [95] Mesothelioma cases without occupational exposure (n = 84). Mixed Para-occupational group averages (range) in dry lung:
Amosite: 1.5 × 106 f/g (0–6.1)
Crocidolite: 31.8 × 106 f/g (0–251)
Chrysotile: 218.9 × 106 f/g (1.9–2507)
Unexposed group averages (range) in dry lung:
Amosite: 0.7 × 106 f/g (0–4.6)
Crocidolite: 5.5 × 106 f/g (0–102)
Chrysotile: 19.6 × 106 f/g (0–77)
Gibbs et al. 1990 [96] Mesothelioma cases with para-occupational exposure (n = 10) Mixed 9 exposed to their husbands’ work clothes and 1 was the daughter of a man who had died of asbestosis.
Huncharek 1989 [97] Wife of shipyard machinist Mixed Chrysotile: 2.5 × 106 f/g
ACj: 0.8 × 106 f/g
TAAk:
3.2 × 106 f/g (in dry lung)
Roggli & Longo 1991 [98] Women whose only known exposure was household contact with an asbestos worker with asbestos-related disease (n = 6) NR Household contacts: median = 1,700 AB/g (range, 2–8,200) Uncoated fibers (UF l): median = 24,300 UF/g
(range, 17,000–120,000) Normal range: median = 3,100 UF/g (range, 0–20)
Roggli 1992 [99] Household contacts with mesothelioma (n = 3) NR Wife of shipyard insulator: 8,200 AB/g (29 yr exposure)
Daughter of insulator: 2,330 AB/g, 17,000 UF/g (25 yr exposure)
Wife of shipyard worker: 2 AB/g, 24,300 UF/g (1–2 yr exposure)
Normal lungs: 0–22 AB/g, 1,600–5,600 UF/g
Roggli et al. 2002 [100] Household contacts with mesothelioma (asbestosis confirmed in 8.3%) Mixed Mean (range) lung burden in wet lung of household: 130 AB/g (2–14,100)
AC: 3,400 f/g (450–116,000)
TAA: 5,200 f/g (980–22,400)
chrysotile: 1,800 f/g
Mean (range) lung burden in wet lung of reference cases:
AB: 3 f/g (2–22)
AC: <600 f/g (<100–<2,540)
TAA: 158,000 f/g (1700–455,000)
Chrysotile: <600 f/g (<100–<2,540)

a based on conversion factor in NRC 1984;

b f/cc = fibers per cubic centimeter;

c n = number of samples or cases;

d WHO = World Health Organization;

e PCM = Phase contrast microscopy;

f TWA = time-weighted average;

g PCM-E = phase contrast microscopy equivalents;

h f/g = fibers per gram lung;

i AB = Asbestos bodies;

j AC = commercial amphiboles (amosite + crocidolite);

k TAA = noncommercial amphiboles (tremolite + actinolite + anthophyllite)

l UF = uncoated fiber;