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Fibrous minerals in the lungs of mesothelioma patients: Comparison between data on SEM, TEM, and personal interview information
Author(s) -
Tuomi Timo
Publication year - 1992
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.4700210205
Subject(s) - medicine , mesothelioma , asbestos , pathology , occupational exposure , environmental health , materials science , metallurgy
To determine and compare the fiber types and size distributions in the lung tissue of mesothelioma patients in Finland, samples from 29 patients with known work history were analyzed with transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X‐ray microanalysis. Compared with the earlier results using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the fiber concentrations were about three times as high and ranged from 0.1 million to 5,200 million fibers per gram of dry tissue. In 15 patients (52%), crocidolite/amosite were the dominating fiber types, representing more than 70% of all fibers. Anthophyllite asbestos was the most prevalent fiber type in eight patients (28%), and it was found in the samples of 13 patients (45%). One‐half of the anthophyllite fibers were longer than 5 μm, whereas other fiber types were somewhat smaller.