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If there was any doubt about the direct causal connection between asbestos and the aggressive cancer known as mesothelioma, a new report published in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine should put it to rest for good.Researchers from the Department of Pathology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York analyzed the data on the incidence of malignant pleural mesothelioma prior to the widespread commercial use of asbestos. Although most mesothelioma is known to be linked to occupational asbestos exposure, the scientific community has been divided about whether or not mesothelioma can occur, even without a triggering irritant like asbestos.
To answer the question, the team analyzed 2,025 autopsies performed at Mount Sinai Hospital between 1883 and 1910, prior to the time when asbestos became popular as an insulator and building material additive. The results were telling – among the 2,025 autopsies, there were no cases of malignant mesothelioma identified. Although the report does not prove that there was no mesothelioma prior to the widespread commercial introduction of asbestos, it does suggest that it was probably extremely rare.
A naturally-occurring mineral fiber, asbestos rose in popularity beginning the 1920’s and 30’s. Because of its strength, prevalence, low cost, and resistance to fire, heat and corrosion, asbestos was used to insulate pipes, engines, boilers and electrical systems. It was added to drywall compounds, adhesives, paints and concrete and was used to make floor tiles and roof shingles. People who lived or worked around asbestos or asbestos containing materials and their families are at highest risk for mesothelioma, which continues to affect about 3,000 Americans a year.
Although its handling is regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the U.S. has not banned asbestos. Because of the long latency of mesothelioma, thousands of people who were exposed to asbestos as many as 50 years ago continue to be diagnosed. The incidence of mesothelioma is expected to continue to rise for at least the next 20 years.
Sources:
Strauchen, JA, “Rarity of malignant mesothelioma prior to the widespread commercial introduction of asbestos: The Mount Sinai autopsy experience 1883-1910”, March 30, 2011, American Journal of Industrial Medicine.
A team of German researchers says examination of lung tissue for minute fibers of asbestos can be a valuable way to identify asbestos-related lung diseases like mesothelioma – especially when it has been many years since the exposure.
Asbestos inhalation is the number one cause of malignant pleural mesothelioma, a fast-growing and deadly cancer that starts in the thin tissue that encases the lungs. But, because it can take 20 to 40 years for mesothelioma to develop, it is not always easy to link a patient’s lung problems to their asbestos exposure. Patients may have forgotten the exposure, or may not even be aware of it, as is sometimes the case with people who have had secondhand exposure to asbestos. In such cases, lung tissue analysis may provide the information needed to identify mesothelioma.
In their analysis of mesothelioma in Germany (also identified as occupational disease No. 4105), the research team observed that the time between exposure and disease development has risen in recent years to a median of 42.5 years. At the same time, the mean age at the time of diagnosis has also risen to an average of 65.5 years. Both facts, they point out, may make it more difficult to link disease with asbestos exposure, making tissue analysis even more valuable.
Writing in the publication Recent Results in Cancer Research, the team observed, “The decrease of median asbestos burden of the lung in mesothelioma patients results in disease manifestation at a higher age. Lung dust analyses are a relevant method for the determination of causation in mesothelioma.” They add that determining the amount and the type of asbestos fibers present in the lung tissue is not only valuable from a research perspective but can also help in predicting how the disease will progress.
Under examination with light and electron microscopy, the predominant fiber-type identified in patients with mesothelioma is amphibole asbestos (crocidolite or amosite). While most patients in the German mesothelioma registry were exposed to asbestos on the job, ten people between 1987 and 2000 were identified as having been exposed at home, by family members who worked in the asbestos manufacturing industry.
Sources:
Neumann, V et al, “Mesothelioma and Analysis of Tissue Fiber Content”, 2011, Recent Results in Cancer Research, pp. 79-95.
| Lung Tissue Fibers Can Help Identify Mesothelioma |
A team of German researchers says examination of lung tissue for minute fibers of asbestos can be a valuable way to identify asbestos-related lung diseases like mesothelioma – especially when it has been many years since the exposure.Asbestos inhalation is the number one cause of malignant pleural mesothelioma, a fast-growing and deadly cancer that starts in the thin tissue that encases the lungs. But, because it can take 20 to 40 years for mesothelioma to develop, it is not always easy to link a patient’s lung problems to their asbestos exposure. Patients may have forgotten the exposure, or may not even be aware of it, as is sometimes the case with people who have had secondhand exposure to asbestos. In such cases, lung tissue analysis may provide the information needed to identify mesothelioma.
In their analysis of mesothelioma in Germany (also identified as occupational disease No. 4105), the research team observed that the time between exposure and disease development has risen in recent years to a median of 42.5 years. At the same time, the mean age at the time of diagnosis has also risen to an average of 65.5 years. Both facts, they point out, may make it more difficult to link disease with asbestos exposure, making tissue analysis even more valuable.
Writing in the publication Recent Results in Cancer Research, the team observed, “The decrease of median asbestos burden of the lung in mesothelioma patients results in disease manifestation at a higher age. Lung dust analyses are a relevant method for the determination of causation in mesothelioma.” They add that determining the amount and the type of asbestos fibers present in the lung tissue is not only valuable from a research perspective but can also help in predicting how the disease will progress.
Under examination with light and electron microscopy, the predominant fiber-type identified in patients with mesothelioma is amphibole asbestos (crocidolite or amosite). While most patients in the German mesothelioma registry were exposed to asbestos on the job, ten people between 1987 and 2000 were identified as having been exposed at home, by family members who worked in the asbestos manufacturing industry.
Sources:
Neumann, V et al, “Mesothelioma and Analysis of Tissue Fiber Content”, 2011, Recent Results in Cancer Research, pp. 79-95.
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