Silica: A lung carcinogen

Silica and lung cancer: a controversial issue.

The role of crystalline silica in lung cancer has long been the subject of controversy. In this article, we review the main experimental and epidemiological studies dealing with this problem. Some evidence for a genotoxic potential of crystalline silica has been obtained in the rare in vitro studies published to date. In vivo studies have shown that crystalline silica is carcinogenic in the rat...

Silica, silicosis, and lung cancer.

Evidence that crystalline silica is associated with an increased rate of lung cancer led the International Agency for Research on Cancer to conclude in 1997 that crystalline silica is a known human carcinogen. In Israel too, crystalline silica is considered as such. The decision raised a debate in the scientific arena, and a few scientists have questioned the basis upon which causality was dete...

Carcinogen biomarkers for lung or oral cancer chemoprevention trials.

The potential applicability of specific carcinogen-derived biomarkers in chemoprevention trials against lung and oral cancer is discussed. At present, there are no examples of the use of these biomarkers in chemoprevention trials, but the principle has been established in chemoprevention trials directed at aflatoxin B1-induced liver cancer. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and tobacco-sp...

Silica exposure, silicosis, and lung cancer: a necropsy study.

Recent studies of the association between lung cancer and silicosis and silica dust have been inconclusive; some showing positive association and some showing none. The present study matched 231 cases of lung cancer with 318 controls by year of birth. Subjects were selected from the necropsy records of the National Centre for Occupational Health. Data on intensity and duration of exposure to si...

A known human carcinogen.