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Malignant mesothelioma caused by childhood exposure to long‐fiber low aspect ratio tremolite
Author(s) -
Magee F.,
Wright J. L.,
Chan N.,
Lawson L.,
Churg A.
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
american journal of industrial medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.7
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1097-0274
pISSN - 0271-3586
DOI - 10.1002/ajim.4700090604
Subject(s) - tremolite , actinolite , chrysotile , asbestos , mesothelioma , amphibole , medicine , fiber , talc , pathology , composite material , materials science , epidote , chlorite , quartz
A 41‐year‐old man was found to have a malignant mesothelioma of the pleura. During childhood in Corsica, he had been exposed at home to chrysotile ore from the Canari mine. Analysis of lung mineral content revealed background levels of chrysotile but an elevated level of tremolite and actinolite asbestos. The latter had a geometric mean length of 3.7 μm, a value considerably longer than we have found for tremolite and actinolite from Quebec chrysotile miners but roughly the same as the mean length of amosite and crocidolite in workers with occupational amphibole exposure. No tremolite or actinolite fibers of length greater than 8 μm microns and width less than 0.25 μm were observed. The mean aspect ratio of the tremolite and actinolite fibers was 7, a value similar to that found in chrysotile miners with mesothelioma but considerably less than the mean aspect ratio of amosite and crocidolite from those with occupational expsoure. These data suggest that long‐fiber tremolite is a potential mesothelial carcinogen in humans, and that fiber length is more important than fiber aspect ratio in this regard.