Asbestos in the lungs of children

Our plain-English summary of Asbestos in the lungs of children, by A.K. Haque, M.F. Kanz, M.G. Mancuso, et al (Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1991).

The study

• Authors: A.K. Haque, M.F. Kanz, M.G. Mancuso, G.M. Williams, R.F. Dodson
• Journal: Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
• Published: 1991;643:419-29
• Cited by: 3 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. 004489).

In plain English

This autopsy study from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston examined the lungs of 75 children aged about 3 weeks to 25 months. The authors counted asbestos bodies (iron-coated fibers) in digested lung tissue and scored inflammation in the small airways and the trachea. They also used electron microscopy to count uncoated fibers in seven lung digests, including two stillborn infants and two school-age children. Asbestos bodies were found in 11 of 52 infants aged up to 6 months (reported as 20%) and in 5 of 23 children aged 7 to 25 months (22%). The uncoated fibers were mainly of the chrysotile type. None were detected in a 28-week stillborn infant, while a 40-week stillborn infant had 96,000 fibers per gram of wet lung. Children with asbestos bodies had significantly more tracheal inflammation. Bronchiolar inflammation did not differ significantly overall. Among the youngest infants, those without asbestos bodies had significantly more. The authors concluded that the findings suggest a possible association between airway inflammation and asbestos in the lungs. They said that where and how the children were exposed still needed to be studied.

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 study: light-microscope counts of asbestos bodies in lung digests, electron-microscope analysis of uncoated fibers in seven cases, and scoring of airway inflammation on lung and tracheal slides
• Who was studied: 75 children from consecutive autopsies at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. Group A was 52 infants aged 3 weeks to 6 months; group B was 23 children aged 7 to 25 months. Seven lung digests (two stillborn infants, children aged 1.75 months, 5 months and 21 months, and children aged 5 and 11 years) underwent electron microscopy. No dates are given.
• Exposure: asbestos bodies and uncoated fibers found in the lungs; the uncoated fibers were mainly chrysotile type by elemental composition; sources of exposure were not identified
• Main results:
  • Asbestos bodies were found in 11 of 52 group A infants (20%) and in 5 of 23 group B children (22%)
  • No asbestos bodies or fibers were detected in the 28-week stillborn infant; the 40-week stillborn infant had 96,000 fibers per gram of wet lung
  • Among the seven cases analysed by electron microscopy, the 5-month-old infant (sudden infant death syndrome) had the most fibers, 4,900,000 per gram of wet lung; the authors noted these fibers were very small, possibly from fragmentation
  • Mild to moderate bronchiolar inflammation was present in 53% of group A infants and in 72% of group B children; respiratory bronchiolitis was present in 20% of both groups
  • Children with asbestos bodies, irrespective of age, had a significantly greater degree of tracheal inflammation than children without asbestos bodies (p less than 0.0085)
  • There was no significant overall difference in bronchiolar inflammation between children with and without asbestos bodies. In group B, children with asbestos bodies had more bronchiolar inflammation, but the difference was not statistically significant.
  • In group A, infants without asbestos bodies had significantly greater bronchiolar inflammation than infants with asbestos bodies (p less than 0.035)
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that the findings suggest a possible association between airway inflammation and asbestos in the lungs, and that very young children are being exposed to asbestos and possibly other atmospheric pollutants. They suggested that fibers in the 40-week stillborn infant may reflect transfer across the placenta late in pregnancy.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • The authors said bronchiolar inflammation in infants without asbestos bodies might be due to atmospheric pollutants and particles other than asbestos
  • Where and how the children were exposed to asbestos was not determined; the authors called for larger studies, home and daycare air sampling, and surveys of parents' occupations and smoking

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