Asbestos and health in 1969

Our plain-English summary of Asbestos and health in 1969, by G.W. Wright (The American Review of Respiratory Disease, 1969).

The study

• Author: G.W. Wright
• Journal: The American Review of Respiratory Disease
• Published: 1969;100(4):467-79
• Type of article: Review
• Cited by: 43 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher
• In J-M's library: Johns-Manville's company medical library held a copy (J-M no. 001434).

In plain English

This 1969 article, presented at the American Thoracic Society's annual meeting, was a narrative review of then-current knowledge on asbestosis, lung cancer, mesothelioma, ferruginous (asbestos) bodies and pleural plaques. It reported no new study of its own. Among studies it described, Doll reported lung cancer at ten times the expected rate in textile workers exposed at least 20 years. Newhouse reported no increase in a low to moderately exposed textile group but an eightfold increase in a heavily exposed group. Citing Webster's South African data, the author noted 51 mesothelioma cases from Northwest Cape crocidolite mining but none from Transvaal crocidolite mines. The author found the contention that crocidolite itself causes mesothelioma difficult to accept. The author also argued that ferruginous bodies in the general public had not been proved to be asbestos, and named talc as another fiber source. The author concluded that asbestos's role in lung cancer appeared dose-related and that of a cocarcinogen. The author also concluded that the public's risk from mostly intermittent, low-concentration exposure in ambient air had been exaggerated. The author noted that data on human exposure were scant.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Narrative review of published studies and personal communications, presented at the American Thoracic Society annual meeting, May 1969
• Who was studied: No new study population. The author reviewed reports on asbestos textile workers, insulation workers, asbestos miners and millers (Finland, Quebec, South Africa, Italy) and the general public.
• Exposure: Occupational and non-occupational exposure to chrysotile, crocidolite, amosite and anthophyllite, mainly in textile manufacturing, insulation work, and mining and milling. Fibrous talc was also discussed as a possible source of ferruginous bodies.
• Main results:
  • As cited from Doll: lung cancer occurred at ten times the expected rate in textile workers exposed for at least 20 years.
  • As cited from Newhouse (asbestos textile workers): no increase in lung (bronchogenic) cancer in a low to moderately exposed group, versus an eightfold increase in a heavily exposed group from the same mill.
  • As cited from Selikoff and associates: not a single lung (bronchogenic) cancer had been found in an insulation worker who did not smoke cigarettes.
  • As cited from Kiviluoto and Meurman (anthophyllite production in Finland): a threefold to fivefold increased risk of lung (bronchogenic) cancer among those older than 45 with more than 10 years of exposure.
  • As cited from Braun and Truan (chrysotile mines and mills in Quebec): no evidence of increased lung (bronchogenic) cancer, over a five-year observation period.
  • As cited from Webster (South Africa): 179 mesothelioma cases met acceptable criteria by the end of 1968. Of these, 51 were exposed in Northwest Cape crocidolite mining and milling and 52 were linked to residence there. No cases came from the Transvaal crocidolite mines.
  • Based on this South African pattern, the author found the claim that crocidolite itself causes mesothelioma difficult to accept.
  • As cited from Thomson and associates: structures resembling asbestos bodies were found in 25 per cent or more of the adult general public. The author argued that these coated fibers had not been proved to be asbestos.
  • As cited from Cralley and associates: in 22 cosmetic talcum powders bought in the U.S., an average of 20 per cent of the particles were fibers.
  • U.S. asbestos consumption rose from 125,000 short tons in 1918 to 720,000 in 1965, a figure from a personal communication. Use in 'loosely bound' products, including insulation, rose from 39,000 to 55,000 short tons between 1920 and 1965.
• The authors' conclusion: The author concluded that asbestos's role in lung cancer appeared dose-related, might depend on fiber type, and appeared to be that of a cocarcinogen. The author also concluded that the risk to the general public from mostly intermittent exposure to the low asbestos concentrations likely present in ambient air had been exaggerated.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • Data on the concentration, size and type of fibers to which humans were exposed were scant or nonexistent.
  • Most mesothelioma cases linked to asbestos had been diagnosed by biopsy alone rather than confirmed at autopsy.
  • Because cancer develops long after exposure, longer observation was needed before a final judgment on whether the tolerable exposure level would also minimize cancer risk.

Topics

The National Library of Medicine indexes this study under subjects our site covers: Asbestosis, Lung cancer, Talc and vermiculite.

Related studies

• Pulmonary fibrosis, carcinoma, and ferruginous body counts in amosite asbestos workers. A study of six cases — V.L. Roggli, S.D. Greenberg, et al. (1980)
• Health-related quality of life in patients with lung cancer: validation of the Mexican-Spanish version and association with prognosis of the EORTC QLQ-LC13 questionnaire — Ó. Arrieta, C. Núñez-Valencia, et al. (2012)
• Pleural calcification, pleural mesotheliomas, and bronchial cancers caused by tremolite dust — S. Yazicioglu, R. Ilçayto, et al. (1980)
• Combined effect of asbestos exposure and smoking on mortality from lung cancer in factory workers — G. Berry, M.L. Newhouse, et al. (1972)
• Commentary regarding the article by Fischer et al.: Fibre years, pulmonary asbestos burden and asbestosis. Int. J. Hyg. Environ. Health 205, 245-248 (2002) — D.W. Henderson (2003)
• Commentary regarding the article by Fischer et al.: Fibre years, pulmonary asbestos burden and asbestosis. Int. J. Hyg. Environ. Health 205, 245-248 (2002) — K. Rödelsperger, H.J. Woitowitz (2003)

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