Western Mediterranean Populations And Normal Lung Asbestos Body Counts

One interesting study is called, Asbestos bodies in normal lung of western Mediterranean

populations with no occupational exposure to inorganic dust by Monso E. ; Texido A. ; Lopez D. ; Aguilar X. ; Fiz J. ; Ruiz J. ; Rosell A. ; Vaquero M. ; Morera J. - Archives of Environmental Health 1995 Volume 50, pages 305-311. Here is an excerpt: Abstract - The aim of this study was to determine the following : (a) asbestos body count in lung tissue of different western Mediterranean populations ; (b) the association, if any, of urban industrial residence with higher lung tissue asbestos body counts in this geographical area ; and (c) the risk factor that environmental asbestos exposure posed for lung cancer in our population. Lung-tissue samples were studied in three groups of subjects from the general population : (1) group A comprised 18 patients from Barcelona's urban industrial area (mean age = 62.2 y, standard deviation [SD] = 13.6) ; (2) group B comprised 16 patients who lived in a rural area of Albacete in the south of Spain (mean age = 62.2 y, SD = 13.7) ; and (3) group C comprised 8 patients who had been diagnosed with lung cancer, who lived in or near Barcelona, and who had never been exposed occupationally to asbestos (mean age = 62.1 y, SD = 7.4). A wet lung/dry lung weight ratio was determined. In group A, asbestos bodies were observed in 9 of 18 (50%) subjects, and asbestos bodies numbered 52.35 per g dry lung (SD = 101.72) (upper limit of normality [higher value] = 430.12 asbestos bodies per g dry lung). In group B, asbestos bodies were observed in 2 of 16 (12.5%) subjects, and asbestos bodies numbered 5.37 per g dry lung (SD = 8.79) (upper limit normality = 35.15 asbestos bodies per g dry lung). In group C, we observed asbestos bodies in 2 of 8 subjects (25.0%), and asbestos bodies numbered 20.59 per g dry weight (SD = 24.10). Comparison between groups A and B indicated small differences in the prevalence of asbestos bodies (i.e., Barcelona 50%, Albacete 12.5% ; p =.057 [chi-square test]), as well as small differences in asbestos body counts (i.e., asbestos bodies per g dry lung ; Mann-Whitney U-test, p .05). We concluded that, in western Mediterranean populations, normal lung asbestos body counts were higher in urban industrial inhabitants than in rural inhabitants ; however, in both populations, there was a low prevalence of asbestos bodies. Our results did not suggest that environmental exposure to asbestos played a role in the pathogenesis of lung cancer in subjects who had never been exposed occupationally to asbestos and who had lived in western Mediterranean areas.

Another interesting study is called, Ferruginous (Asbestos) Bodies in the Lungs of Rural Dwellers, Urban Dwellers, and Patients With Pulmonary Neoplasms by Breedin, Patricia H. Ct (Ascp); Winston-Salem, Nc; Buss, David H. Md - April 1976 - Volume 69 - Issue 4 - Southern Medical Journal. Here is an excerpt: Abstract - The lungs of 100 consecutive patients at autopsy and of 24 patients with various pulmonary neoplasms were analyzed for the presence of ferruginous (asbestos) bodies. The population comprised both rural dwellers and urban dwellers, in contrast to previous similar studies involving only urban dwellers. More than 90% of both population groups had ferruginous bodies in their lungs. There was no apparent difference in the incidence or quantity of ferruginous bodies between the group with pulmonary neoplasms and the randomly selected group. These findings raise the possibility of more widespread asbestos dust contamination of environmental air than has been previously thought and indicate that rural as well as urban populations are exposed. The failure to demonstrate more ferruginous bodies in the lungs of patients with pulmonary neoplasms is in accordance with the view that asbestos acts as a cocarcinogen in this regard.

We all owe a debt of gratitude to these fine researchers for their important work. If you found any of these excerpts helpful, please read the studies in their entirety.

by: Mont Wrobleski

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