Dodson en collega’s analyseerden longweefsel van 54 mensen met mesothelioom. Deze mensen hadden een breed scala aan beroepen gehad, waaronder de typische beroepen met asbestblootstelling zoals isoleerders, maar ook ‘witte boorden’ beroepen zoals een architect, onderwijzer of een chirurg. Bij het merendeel van de proefpersonen werden verschillende soorten asbest gevonden. De vezels varieerden in lengte, hoewel meer korte dan lange vezels gevonden werden. Amfiboolvezels werden het meest gevonden, vooral amosiet. Chrysotiel was het minst aanwezig. Ijzerhoudende deeltjes werden vooral gevonden bij mensen die aan amfibool-asbest waren blootgesteld (amosiet of crocidoliet). In 10 van de 54 gevallen week het aantal gevonden asbestvezels niet af van dat wat bij de algemene bevolking wordt gevonden, een teken dat ook lage blootstellingsniveaus mesothelioom kunnen veroorzaken. Bron: Dodson RF, et al. (2005). Asbestos burden in cases of mesothelioma from individuals from various regions of the United States. Ultrastructural Pathology, sep-oct. 29(5):415-33.
Dodson RF, Graef R, Shepherd S, O’Sullivan M, Levin J., (2005). Asbestos burden in cases of mesothelioma from individuals from various regions of the United States. Ultrastructural Pathology, sep-oct.29(5):415-33.
Abstract
Mesothelioma is a rare tumor that is considered an asbestos marker disease. It occurs in individuals following a longer latency period from first exposure than other asbestos-related diseases. The tumor also occurs in individuals with a wide range of exposures, including individuals with lower level or secondary exposures. In the present study lung tissue from 54 individuals with a pathological diagnosis of mesothelioma was evaluated for ferruginous body and uncoated asbestos fiber content. The data were compared with an earlier study of mesothelioma cases from the northwestern United States. Tissue was prepared via a digestion procedure, with the collected digestate reviewed by light microscopy for quantification of asbestos bodies and analytical transmission electron microscopy for determination of uncoated fiber burden. Twenty-seven cases in the present study had over 1000 ferruginous bodies per gram of dry tissue. The data suggest that amosite provides a more likely stimulus for ferruginous coating than the other forms of asbestos. All individuals were found to have asbestos fibers in their lung tissue. Amosite was the most commonly found fiber, with anthophyllite being the second most commonly found type of asbestos. The finding of tremolite in the tissue most often was associated with the finding of anthophyllite. A limited number of asbestos fibers of each type would have been seen in the light microscope, with the least detected being chrysotile. The majority of all fiber types were found as short fibers (< 8 mum), although some longer fibers were represented in each type of asbestos. The majority of the individuals were found to have mixed types of asbestos in their lungs.