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Asbestos Lung Burden in Necroscopic Samples from the General Population of Milan, Italy.
- Source :
- Annals of Occupational Hygiene; Aug2015, Vol. 59 Issue 7, p909-921, 13p
- Publication Year :
- 2015
-
Abstract
- The present study analysed the asbestos lung burden in necroscopic samples from 55 subjects free from asbestos-related diseases, collected between 2009 and 2011 in Milan, Italy. Multiple lung samples were analysed by light microscopy (asbestos bodies, AB) and EDXA-scanning electron microscopy (asbestos fibres and other inorganic fibres). Asbestos fibres were detected in 35 (63.6%) subjects, with a higher frequency for amphiboles than for chrysotile. Commercial (CA) and non-commercial amphiboles (NCA) were found in roughly similar frequencies. The estimated median value was 0.11 million fibres per gram of dry lung tissue (mf g<superscript>-1</superscript>) for all asbestos, 0.09 mf g<superscript>-1</superscript> for amphiboles. In 44 (80.0%) subjects no chrysotile fibres were detected. A negative relationship between asbestos mass-weighted fibre count and year of birth (and a corresponding positive increase with age) was observed for amphiboles [-4.15%, 95% confidence interval (CI) = -5.89 to -2.37], talc (-2.12%, 95% CI = -3.94 to -0.28), and Ti-rich fibres (-3.10%, 95% CI = -5.54 to -0.60), but not for chrysotile (-2.84%, 95% CI = -7.69 to 2.27). Residential district, birthplace, and smoking habit did not affect the lung burden of asbestos or inorganic fibres. Females showed higher burden only for amphiboles (0.12 versus 0.03 mf g<superscript>-1</superscript> in males, P = 0.07) and talc fibres (0.14 versus 0 mf g<superscript>-1</superscript> in males, P = 0.03). Chrysotile fibres were shorter and thinner than amphibole fibres and NCA fibres were thicker than CA ones. The AB prevalence was 16.4% (nine subjects) with concentrations ranging from 10 to 110 AB g<superscript>-1</superscript> dry, well below the 1000 AB g<superscript>-1</superscript> threshold for establishing occupational exposure. No AB were found in subjects younger than 30 years. Our study demonstrated detectable levels of asbestos fibres in a sample taken from the general population. The significant increase with age confirmed that amphibole fibres are the most representative of cumulative exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- AGE distribution
AIR pollution
ANALYSIS of variance
ASBESTOS
CONFIDENCE intervals
FISHER exact test
LUNG diseases
PROBABILITY theory
PUBLIC health surveillance
RESEARCH funding
SCANNING electron microscopy
SEX distribution
STATISTICS
T-test (Statistics)
TALC
TITANIUM
DATA analysis
ENVIRONMENTAL exposure
BODY burden
DATA analysis software
DESCRIPTIVE statistics
LOG-rank test
MANN Whitney U Test
KRUSKAL-Wallis Test
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 00034878
- Volume :
- 59
- Issue :
- 7
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- Annals of Occupational Hygiene
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 108987410
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1093/annhyg/mev028