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Asbestos exposure among finnish lung cancer patients: Occupational history and fiber concentration in lung tissue
Author(s) -
Karjalainen A.,
Anttila S.,
Heikkilä L.,
Karhunen P.,
Vainio H.
Publication year - 1993
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.4700230309
Subject(s) - medicine , asbestos , lung cancer , lung , pathology , asbestos fibers , occupational exposure , cancer , fiber , environmental health , chemistry , materials science , organic chemistry , metallurgy
In a series of 65 surgically treated lung cancer patients, past exposure to asbestos was evaluated by personal interviews, and by scanning electron microscopy analyses of the mineral fibers in lung tissue. Lung tissue samples of 17 autopsied male office workers were analyzed as referents. According to occupational history, 37% of the lung cancer patients had definite or probable, 31% possible, and 32% unlikely exposure to asbestos. The fiber concentration in the lung tissue ranged from <0.1 to 65 million fibers per gram dry tissue in the lung cancer group, and from <0.1 to 0.8 million fibers per gram dry tissue in the reference group. In 26% of the lung cancer patients, but in none of the referents, the fiber concentration exceeded 1 million fibers per gram dry tissue. Most of the exposed patients had been employed in various construction jobs, and valuable information about the exposure levels could be obtained by the mineral fiber analyses. In general, there was a good accord between the exposure categorization and the fiber burden measured in the lung. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.