Asbestos bodies in human lungs at autopsy

Our plain-English summary of Asbestos bodies in human lungs at autopsy, by D. Cauna, R.S. Totten, P. Gross (JAMA, 1965).

The study

• Authors: D. Cauna, R.S. Totten, P. Gross
• Journal: JAMA
• Published: 1965;192:371-3
• Cited by: 67 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. 004317).

Abstract

The incidence of asbestos bodies in the lungs was investigated in 100 autopsies of adults. Lung smears were taken from the sectioned surfaces of the upper and lower lobes of both lungs. The slides were dried and mounted without staining, and approximately 400 low-power fields were examined in each slide. Routine histological sections of unexpanded lungs were also examined in all cases. Asbestos bodies were found in 41% of the subjects. They were not encountered in persons up to 24 years of age. Among males the incidence was 47%, and in females 34%. Although significant microscopic pulmonary fibrosis was encountered in two positive cases, no instance of classical asbestosis was found. Mesothelioma of the pleura was not encountered. Primary lung carcinoma occurred in one patient with asbestos bodies and in one without.

PubMed has no abstract for this study. This is the authors' abstract, copied from the article.

In plain English

This study looked for asbestos bodies in the lungs of 100 adults (53 men, 47 women, aged 17 to 91) autopsied at Presbyterian-University Hospital in Pittsburgh. Lung smears and tissue sections were examined under a microscope. Asbestos bodies were found in 41 of the 100: 47% of men and 34% of women. None were found in people up to age 24. Most positive cases had one to ten bodies, and the highest count was 473. No case of classical asbestosis or pleural mesothelioma was found. Primary lung cancer occurred in one person with asbestos bodies and one without. Occupations came from hospital charts, without questioning patients or families, and no connection with manufacturing asbestos products was established in any case. In their limited material, the authors reported, no correlation was determined between lung fibrosis and asbestos bodies or macrophages with coarse brown granules. They noted that asbestos in the bodies could not be positively identified and that no chemical analysis was done to identify the mineral. They concluded that asbestos bodies are commonly encountered in human lungs and suggested extending studies of this air contaminant.

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: Autopsy series: microscopic examination of lung smears and lung tissue sections from routine autopsies
• Who was studied: 100 routine adult autopsy cases (53 men, 47 women, aged 17 to 91; 12 described as Negro) at Presbyterian-University Hospital, which received patients mainly from Pittsburgh and the surrounding area; years of autopsy not stated
• Exposure: General urban population; asbestos exposure was not measured. Occupations were taken from charts, and patients and families were not questioned directly; in no case was a connection with manufacture of asbestos products established. Women were mostly housewives; men ranged from manual workers to executives.
• Main results:
  • Asbestos bodies were found in 41 of the 100 subjects (41%)
  • The proportion with asbestos bodies was 47% in men and 34% in women
  • No asbestos bodies were found in persons up to age 24 (six persons)
  • The highest proportion of positive cases was in the 25 to 34 age group. The authors said that, because the groups were small, the significance of the differences was doubtful.
  • Positive cases were more frequent among manual workers than among professional and administrative occupations (no numbers given). Seven of the 12 Negro subjects had asbestos bodies.
  • Most positive cases had one to ten asbestos bodies. The maximum, 473, was in a 63-year-old male sales engineer for a pump company.
  • In histological sections, asbestos bodies were found in only four of the positive cases, all among the higher counts
  • Interstitial fibrosis of some significance was seen in three cases, two of which had asbestos bodies in smears. In their limited material, the authors reported that no correlation was determined between pulmonary fibrosis and either asbestos bodies or macrophages with coarse brown granules.
  • No case of classical asbestosis and no pleural mesothelioma was found. Primary lung carcinoma occurred in one case with asbestos bodies and one without.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that asbestos bodies are commonly encountered in human lungs. They noted that their 41% exceeded figures reported from Cape Town (26.4%) and Miami (27.9%), which might reflect differences in technique or in air pollution. They suggested that studies of this modern air contaminant should be extended.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • Asbestos in the bodies could not be positively identified. No chemical determinations, such as analysis of lung tissue for silica, were done. The bodies might be associated with tremolite.
  • Body counts depend on the sampling site and on lung edema and congestion. Samples were taken from random sites, not specifically from the basal portions where counts are reported to be highest.
  • Occupations were taken from charts. Patients and families were not questioned directly.
  • Differences from other cities may merely reflect differences in technique

Topics

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

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Asbestos Bodies, Autopsy, Pulmonary Fibrosis, Mesothelioma, Pleura, Carcinoma.

Related studies

• Peritoneal tumours in asbestosis — J.B. Enticknap, W.J. Smither (1964)
• The pathology of mesotheliomata and an analysis of their association with asbestos exposure — D.O. Hourihane (1964)
• Diffuse mesothelioma and exposure to asbestos dust in the Merseyside area — W.G. Owen (1964)
• Exposure to asbestos and mesothelioma of the pleura — P.B. Fowler, J.C. Sloper, et al. (1964)
• Prevalence of "asbestos" bodies in human lungs at necropsy — T.E. Dicke, B. Naylor (1969)
• The ultrastructure of asbestos bodies from guinea-pig lungs — J.M. Davis (1964)

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