This study was designed to test the hypothesis that subjects with many asbestos bodies in their lungs at autopsy would also have asbestos bodies in various other organs. The subjects included 19 cases with diagnosis of asbestosis at death (two of these had mesothelioma, five had lung cancer) and 18 with pleural plaques but not asbestosis. Occupational histories were obtained from relatives. In ...

BACKGROUND Asbestos-related diseases are still a major public health problem. The World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated that 107,000 people worldwide die each year from mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis. We review what is known about asbestos use, production, and exposure and asbestos-related diseases in the world today, and we offer predictions for the future. Although worldwid...

In Japan, crocidolite had been used for asbestos cement pipe and spraying, and amosite had been used for building board and spraying. These two types of asbestos had stopped to use in Japan in the late 1970s. An extreme increase in imported asbestos (all 3 commercial types) was observed between 1960 and 1974. In 1960, 77,000 tons of asbestos were imported, and reached the peak as 352,316 tons i...

Carcinogenicity of asbestos has been well established for decades and it has similar approval standards in most advanced countries based on a number of studies and international meetings. However, Korea has been lagging behind such international standards. In this study, we proposed the approval standards of an occupational cancer due to asbestos through intensive review on the Helsinki Criteri...

The mode of interaction of asbestos fibres with cell membranes is still debatable. One reason is the lack of a suitable and convenient cellular model to investigate the causes of asbestos toxicity. We studied the interaction of asbestos fibres with Xenopus laevis oocytes, using electrophysiological and morphological methods. Oocytes are large single cells, with a limited ability to endocytose m...

There is recent mounting evidence that nanoparticles may have enhanced toxicological potential in comparison to the same material in the bulk form. The aim of this study was to develop a new method for unmask asbestos nanofibers from Formalin-Fixed, Paraffin-Embedded tissue. There is an increasing amount of evidence that nanoparticles may enhance toxicological potential in comparison to the sam...

Mesothelioma, a malignant cancer of the pleura, is almost exclusively associated with asbestos exposure.1 What will it take to eradicate this highly preventable cancer? Despite the scientific consensus that exposure to asbestos fibres causes deadly diseases, we continue to use asbestos in products designed ostensibly to improve quality of life. For example, asbestos is still used in automobile ...

Mesothelioma, a rare tumor, is highly correlated with asbestos exposure. Mesothelioma, similar to all asbestos-related diseases, is dose/intensity dependent to some degree, and studies showed the risk of mesothelioma rises with cumulative exposures. Multiple processes occur in an individual before mesothelioma occurs. The impact of mesothelioma in the United States has been continuous over the ...

BACKGROUND Construction site supervisors are exposed to many chemicals, dusts, and metals including asbestos. Asbestos is a hazardous chemical that is carcinogenic. Laryngeal cancer is not a rare disease in Korea. The most common causes of this disease are tobacco and alcohol, and representative occupational cause is asbestos. However, up to now, no case of laryngeal cancer induced by asbestos ...

Meurman, L. O., Kiviluoto, R., and Hakama, M. (1974). British Journal ofIndustrial Medicine, 31, 105-112. Mortality and morbidity among the working population of anthophyllite asbestos miners in Finland. A study has been made in Finland of the effects of anthophyllite asbestos on mortality and morbidity of 1 092 asbestos workers first employed at two mines between 1936 and 1969; 95% of workers ...