Asbestos is not just asbestos: an unrecognised health hazard

Our plain-English summary of Asbestos is not just asbestos: an unrecognised health hazard, by F. Baumann, J.P. Ambrosi, M. Carbone (The Lancet. Oncology, 2013).

The study

• Authors: F. Baumann, J.P. Ambrosi, M. Carbone
• Journal: The Lancet. Oncology
• Published: 2013;14(7):576-8
• Cited by: 118 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Summary of the article

In this comment, the authors argued that the regulatory definition of asbestos is too narrow. They noted that about 107 000 people die every year from mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. Of roughly 400 minerals that occur naturally in fibrous form, only six (actinolite, amosite, anthophyllite, chrysotile, crocidolite and tremolite) are regulated, because these were the only fibres used commercially when regulations were introduced. They described the differing definitions of asbestos and stated that fibre dimension and biopersistence are the main factors in its toxic effects. They cited examples of non-regulated fibres linked to disease. Erionite, described as the most potent carcinogenic mineral fibre, caused a mesothelioma epidemic in Cappadocian villages in Turkey and is present in western USA, where it has been used to pave roads and playgrounds. Asbestiform winchite and richterite contaminated vermiculite mined at Libby, Montana. Fibrous antigorite was linked to asbestosis among nickel workers in Poland and to mesothelioma in New Caledonia, where roads paved with serpentinite were the main source of exposure. They also noted that chrysotile, identified as a human carcinogen, is still mined and sold worldwide. The authors concluded that all fibrous minerals should be handled as potentially pathogenic until proven safe. They also concluded that a wider regulatory definition of asbestos should include all potentially carcinogenic mineral fibres, without distinction of type and commercial use.

PubMed has no abstract for this study, and the article doesn't print one. We wrote this summary from the full article with the help of AI. It is not the authors' wording.

In plain English

This was a short commentary, not a study. The authors argued that the regulatory definition of asbestos is too narrow. They wrote that only six fibrous minerals (actinolite, amosite, anthophyllite, chrysotile, crocidolite and tremolite) are regulated, because these were the only ones used commercially when regulations were introduced, while many other minerals occur naturally in fibrous form. Citing earlier research, the authors gave examples of non-regulated fibers linked to disease. One was erionite, which they described as regarded as the most potent carcinogenic mineral fiber; it was used to build houses and pave roads in Cappadocian villages in Turkey, where a mesothelioma epidemic occurred. Another was asbestiform winchite and richterite, which contaminated vermiculite mined at Libby, Montana. A third was fibrous antigorite, reported to cause asbestosis among nickel workers in Poland and related to mesothelioma cases in New Caledonia. The authors proposed that all fibrous minerals be handled as potentially pathogenic until proven safe. They also proposed that a wider regulatory definition of asbestos should include all potentially carcinogenic mineral fibers, regardless of type or commercial use. The commentary reported no new data of its own.

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: Commentary (opinion piece in the journal's Comment section); no original data
• Exposure: Naturally occurring fibrous minerals. These are the six regulated asbestos types (actinolite, amosite, anthophyllite, chrysotile, crocidolite, tremolite) and non-regulated fibers such as erionite, antigorite, winchite and richterite.
• Main results:
  • The authors stated that the six regulated types were chosen because they were the only mineral fibers used commercially when regulations were introduced.
  • Citing earlier work, the authors described erionite as regarded as the most potent carcinogenic mineral fiber, but noted that it is not defined as asbestos and is not regulated.
  • Citing earlier work, the authors noted that erionite used in building and road paving in Cappadocian villages in Turkey caused a mesothelioma epidemic.
  • Citing earlier work, the authors noted that asbestiform winchite and richterite contaminated vermiculite mined at Libby, Montana, causing high rates of asbestos-related disease.
  • Citing earlier work, the authors noted that fibrous antigorite was shown to cause asbestosis among nickel workers in Poland.
  • Citing earlier work, the authors noted that in New Caledonia an increased number of mesothelioma cases was related to the distribution of serpentinite containing antigorite fibers.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors proposed that all fibrous minerals be handled as potentially pathogenic until proven safe. They also proposed that a wider regulatory definition of asbestos should include all potentially carcinogenic mineral fibers, without distinction of type and commercial use.

Topics

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

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Mesothelioma, Actinolite, Amosite, Anthophyllite, Chrysotile, Crocidolite, Tremolite, biopersistence.

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• Asbestos-related hazards in developing countries — B.S. Levy, A. Seplow (1992)

Browse more research in The Lancet. Oncology, or return to medical research.