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[X-ray computed tomography in pleuropulmonary asbestos pathology].

Results of computed tomography and conventional radiology were compared during investigation of 17 patients with pleuropulmonary lesions from confirmed asbestosis. Computed tomography images appeared to provide improved data for detection and analysis of pleural plaques, particularly in the costovertebral grooves; false pleural images (associated shadows, fatty tissue) can be eliminated. The CT scan should occupy a place of choice for surveillance of subjects in contact with asbestos and presenting pleural anomalies.

Asbestosis↗

[Model for evaluation of occupational mortality related to asbestos (the case of the asbestos industry in France between 1950 and 1980)].

This article presents an evaluation model of the mortality attributed to asbestos occupational exposure. French workers exposed at least ten years between 1950 and 1979 constitute the population studied. Exposure-risk relations are used to estimate mortality from lung cancer, mesothelioma, or asbestosis, and the associated reduction of life expectancy among 76 groups (about 18,500 workers) defined by their level of asbestos exposure. The most important results are presented and discussed as are the main hypotheses regarding historical exposure parameters.

Adolescent↗

[Rehabilitation of the worker with bronchopneumopathy].

Epidemiological data show that chronic diseases of the respiratory apparatus have constantly increased over the last 20 years or so, often involving relatively young age classes. The increased survival rates due to chemotherapy also increase the importance of rehabilitation in such diseases. The officially accepted concept of a "global" rehabilitation is particularly significant in the case of patients of working age. The main rehabilitation procedures include chest physiotherapy, aerosol therapy, oxygen therapy (where selection criteria have been established and where there are new prospects related to long-term oxygen therapy), intermittent positive pressure breathing and physical retraining. Details on the methods of assessment and training and data concerning three groups of patients suffering from respectively chronic obstructive lung disease, silicosis and asbestosis, are given. The data show a general pattern of a decrease in ventilation (for an unchanged level of O2 uptake and CO2 output) and reflect a rise in muscular efficiency (exercising and respiratory) enabling the body to perform the same work load at a lower energy cost. The authors discuss the vocational rehabilitation of the patient with lung disease and illustrate the most useful procedures in the assessment of the subject, the environment and the place of work, including guidelines to achieve this. Rehabilitation treatment is also summarized into a number of stages, with the goals at different therapeutic levels and the ways to reach them.

Asbestosis↗

The effect of asbestos-cement, cement and asbestos dusts on the lungs of rats.

Experimental coniosis was induced by intratracheal administration to rats of 25 mg or 50 mg of Portland cement, asbestos-cement, as well as chrysotile and crocidolite asbestos. The rats were sacrificed 90, 165 and 180 days after dust administration. The weight of wet lungs and hydroxyproline content in lungs were determined. Statistically significant lower values of fibrogenic effects indices following cement dust administration, as compared to those indices for the other dusts, were found. On the other hand, no significant differences were found between fibrogenic effects indices for asbestos-cement containing approx. 13% of asbestos and pure asbestos dusts (chrysotile or crocidolite). Furthermore, it seems that the duration of dust action is more important than the dust dose in the development of fibrogenic asbestosis.

Animals↗

Sister chromatid exchange frequency in asbestos workers.

In vitro cytogenetic studies of amosite, chrysotile, and crocidolite asbestos have shown that these fibers may induce chromosome abnormalities and an elevated sister chromatid exchange (SCE) rate in mammalian cells. Twenty-five asbestos insulators (6 with radiographic asbestosis) were compared to 14 controls frequency matched for age and were found to have a marginally increased SCE rate in circulating lymphocytes with increasing years of exposure (P= 0.057). There was a significant association between SCE rate and smoking (P=0.002) after controlling for years of asbestos exposure and age. Smoking asbestos insulators had the highest SCE rate. Sister chromatid exchanges in chromosomes of group A, i.e., the group with the longest chromosomes, were significantly associated with asbestos exposure and cigarette smoking, with an interaction between the two.

Asbestos↗

Alteration in the low frequency lung sounds in respiratory disorders associated with crackles.

Lung sounds were recorded in three groups of 5 subjects, 2 conditions associated with pulmonary crackling (asbestosis and pulmonary oedema), and in normal non-smoking males. A technique was used which permitted extraction and analysis of the low-frequency sounds. Differences were evident in the 5-50 Hz range of the frequency spectra which allowed separation of all 3 groups. A prominent feature was the close similarity of the low-frequency sounds within the asbestos group when plotted on a scattergram. The findings suggest that alteration in low-frequency breath sound occurs in parenchymal lung disease and that its potential merits further investigation.

Asbestosis↗

[Current possibilities of the biometrology of dust in specimens of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid].

This study attempts to present the current possibilities of investigation of an occupational risk, in particular that of asbestosis, by metrology of dusts in bronchoalveolar washings (BAW). This is a retrospective evaluation of metrological data obtained in a period of six years by study of almost all of the 1338 samples of BAW referred to this laboratory from various pulmonary medicine departments. With regard to the metrology of asbestos fibres in BAW samples, an explanation is given for the fact that routine analytical possibilities are limited to the numbering of asbestos bodies (AB). The specificity of the AB marker is discussed. Reference data are indicated concerning the efficacity of the collection of AB from washings, the relationship between concentrations of AB in BAW samples, parenchyma samples and sputum, and the interpretation of AB concentrations in BAW samples. Current data show that BAW samples are sensitive indications, but there is a lack of specificity. With regard to the biometrological investigation of BAW samples concerning occupational hazards other than asbestos, a large number of studies remain to be undertaken.

Asbestos↗

Diffuse malignant mesothelioma: a review.

Diffuse malignant mesothelioma is a signal tumor of asbestos exposure. Mesothelioma incidence has been steadily rising during the past two decades, reflecting the increases in asbestos use during and following World War II. The onset of the disease follows exposure by 25 to 40 years. The dose-response relationship appears to be much lower than that for asbestosis or lung cancer-it is not known whether current levels of exposure will entail a risk for disease 30 years hence. There is no synergistic or additive interaction with smoking for this tumor. Current knowledge indicates that pleural plaques, per se, do not increase the risk for this tumor beyond that of the previous asbestos exposure alone. Durable fibers with high aspect ratios, especially amphiboles, are associated with experimental tumor induction. Treatment modalities including surgical procedures and chemotherapy with doxorubicin and 5-azacytidine offer prospects for palliation.

Animals↗

[Value of thoracoscopy in the diagnosis of solid tumors extending into the pleural cavity].

Thoracoscopy examinations in 5 cases of solid tumors of the pleura: 1 case of Pancoast's and Tobias' tumors of neoplastic origin, 1 case of asbestosis-induced fibrohyaline plaques, and 2 cases of benign pleural tumors, 1 neurinoma emphasized the diagnostic value of thoracoscopy for tumors of this type. Direct visualization of the lesion is possible, its precise site and extent can be determined, and biopsy samples obtained for pathology under direct visual guidance.

Adult↗

Interstitial accumulation of inhaled chrysotile asbestos fibers and consequent formation of microcalcifications.

Previous studies have shown that inhaled chrysotile asbestos impacts initially at the bifurcations of alveolar ducts in the lungs of rats. Asbestos fibers are transported through alveolar epithelial cells at these bifurcation regions to the interstitium during the 24-hour period after a 1-hour exposure. To further these studies, white rats were exposed to an aerosol of chrysotile asbestos for 1 hour. Animals were sacrificed, and the lungs were fixed by vascular perfusion immediately after and 1 month after exposure. Blocks of tissue were prepared for light and electron microscopy. We report here, at 1 month after exposure, that numerous asbestos fibers had accumulated within the lung interstitium at alveolar duct bifurcations. Many of these interstitial fibers were found in te center of intracellular microcalcifications. The presence of calcifications was proven by X-ray energy spectrometric analysis of the inclusions in situ. Clear X-ray peaks for calcium and phosphorus were demonstrated. The authors propose that 1 month after a 1-hour exposure to chrysotile asbestos, fiber-induced membrane injury in cells of the lung interstitium leads to formation of microcalcifications. This may represent the presence of early cell injury in the initial pathogenetic sequence of asbestosis.

Aerosols↗

Numbers and types of asbestos fibers in subjects with pleural plaques.

The authors analyzed asbestos fibers in lung samples from 20 subjects with pleural plaques discovered on autopsy and compared the findings to their previous analyses of lungs from subjects with little or no asbestos exposure and no plaques. Sixteen of the subjects with plaques had a history of exposure to asbestos. The authors used electron-optical methods and energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy to investigate the structure, diffraction patterns, and chemical composition of the asbestos fibers. The subjects with plaques had significantly higher median concentrations than the control subjects for amosite and crocidolite fibers (P less than 0.01) but not for the other fiber types. Minimal microscopic asbestosis was present in the 3 subjects who had the highest amosite concentrations. In the subjects with typical plaques, a history of asbestos exposure, and more fibers than in the control population, the relation of the plaques to asbestos was confirmed; for others, it was uncertain.

Adult↗

HM Dockyard, Devonport: 1947 mortality study.

To investigate the effect of occupational exposure to asbestos on mortality, names of all 6292 men born on or after 1 January 1910 and employed as industrial workers in the RN Dockyard, Devonport on 1 January 1947 were submitted to the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys for tracing. Follow-up continued until the end of 1978: over 99% were traced; 3% emigrated; and there were 1043 (17%) deaths. On the basis of the mortality in England and Wales for each five years of age and each five calendar years, the standardized mortality ratio (SMR) was 96. Adjusting the rates for the lower mortality in south-west England, the SMR was 104. No relation was found between SMR and date of birth, and there was only a very slight excess among those more heavily exposed to asbestos. Thirty-one men died with mesothelioma and a further 14 with asbestosis or pulmonary fibrosis. The circulatory disease death rate was slightly raised (SMR = 118), but no more than might have been expected for manual workers. Asbestos-related deaths accounted for at least 4% of all deaths, but probably not many more.

Aged↗

Scientific aspects of the work of the Commission of the European Communities on Asbestos.

The Commission of the European Communities has been carrying out scientific investigations on asbestos for some years. The principal activity has been the regular meetings of two European Communities panels of scientific consultants concerned primarily with the pathology of the asbestos-related diseases, asbestosis and mesothelioma. In addition, the Commission has carried out a number of comparative studies on the measurement of asbestos in various media, using both gravimetric and microscopic techniques.

Air Pollutants, Occupational↗

Diseases associated with asbestos in Spain.

In Spain, imported asbestos of all types is processed into fibre-cement and textile and friction materials, involving about 9000 workers. The author describes his studies in a small textile firm in Bilbao manufacturing textile and cardboard asbestos products from chrysotile and, until 1970, crocidolite. No mesotheliomas were found, but asbestosis, bronchial cancer and pleural changes were seen. Other studies carried out in Spain are described also.

Adult↗

Effects of inhaled asbestos, asbestos plus cigarette smoke, asbestos-cement and talc baby powder in hamsters.

Chronic exposure of hamsters to chrysotile asbestos resulted in severe asbestosis in all animals and in increased mortality; concomitant exposure to cigarette smoke did not affect type or severity of asbestotic lesions. Chronic exposure to asbestos-cement dust increased the number of macrophages and ferruginous bodies. Exposure to talc baby powder caused no significant changes. Deposition of talc particles in the lungs was demonstrated by X-ray fluorescence and X-ray diffraction and by a study with neutron-activated talc. No malignant tumours were observed in any of these studies.

Animals↗

Early effects of low-doses exposure to asbestos on local cellular immune responses in the lung.

We recently developed an animal model to study the pulmonary reactions after exposure to environmental pollutants. In this model, sheep received monthly intratracheal instillations of a suspension of varying amounts of chrysotile asbestos in saline. All animals were studied by pulmonary function tests, transbronchial biopsies, and bronchoalveolar lavage. During the 6 mo of the study, no changes were seen in the 2 former tests, but bronchoalveolar lavage yielded leukocytes that responded with enhanced proliferative activity to concanavalin A, pokeweed mitogen, and staphylococcal lysate. The response to phytohemagglutinin was poor but also enhanced in the asbestos-exposed animals. Enhanced responsiveness was dose-related, except for the highest dose used, 128 mg, which was associated with a less enhanced proliferative response or none. Our data suggest that the initial response to low-dose exposure to asbestos consists in a stimulation of lymphocyte function; the possibility that this phenomenon may be linked to the eventual fibrogenic response of asbestosis warrants further studies.

Animals↗

Asbestos disease in Finland.

Finland was the world's main producer of anthophyllite asbestos between 1918 and 1975. The total amount of mined anthophyllite asbestos was 350,000 tons of which 230,000 tons were exported. Anthophyllite quarry workers who had worked at least five years between 1936 and 1972 showed the highest risk of asbestosis, in comparison with other groups of asbestos workers.

Air Pollutants↗

[Endemic pleural plaques and environmental factors (author's transl)].

In an agricultural town in Burgenland (Austria) we found an increased prevalence of pleural plaques. These calcifying thickenings of the pleura are related to minimal asbestos exposure such as is mesothelioma, but they cannot be regarded as a precancerosis. The increased occurrence of pleural plaques in this town of nearly 3500 inhabitants (in which during 1916 to 1945 asbestos was mined) we first found at the chest x-ray archives of a pulmologic hospital, then by mass radiography and blind comparison with control groups. A photofluoroscopy of 300 persons yielded 16 cases with definite pleural plaques (5.3%) among which were 4 cases with suspected asbestosis and another 14 cases with uncertain pleural plaques (4.7%). The 600 control persons showed no such radiological changes. Interviews wich persons detected for pleural plaques at mass radiography gave no indication that they had occupational asbestos exposure. But asbestos was detected in the soil of vineyards and in the dust of the houses. Asbestos was also detectable in the atmospheric dust by x-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopic techniques.

Asbestos↗