BACKGROUND This study analysed the humoral immune response in asbestos exposed lung cancer patients to identify new surrogate markers of the carcinogenic risk in populations exposed to asbestos. METHODS AND RESULTS A serological analysis identified five distinct antigens reactive with IgG derived from a lung cancer patient with high asbestos exposure. In one of the isolated antigens, quantita...

OBJECTIVE To describe the occupational background of cases with an asbestos-related disease and to present overall mesothelioma risks across industries with historical exposure to asbestos. METHODS For the period 1990-2000, cases were collected from records held by two law firms. Information on jobs held, previous employers, activities performed and specific products used were obtained from p...

OBJECTIVES The study aimed to evaluate the risk of pleural plaques according to the degree of past exposure to asbestos, type of amphibole asbestos, and smoking, as well as to estimate the aetiologic fraction of asbestos as a cause of plaques among urban men. METHODS The occurrence and extent of pleural plaques were recorded at necropsies of 288 urban men aged 33 to 69 years. The pulmonary co...

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 ...