Asbestos panel chair mystified by secrecy surrounding report

Our plain-English summary of Asbestos panel chair mystified by secrecy surrounding report, by R. Collier (CMAJ, 2009).

The study

• Author: R. Collier
• Journal: CMAJ
• Published: 2009;180(11):1100-1
• Type of article: News
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

In plain English

This is a CMAJ news article, not a research study. It reported on two reports by a six-member expert panel commissioned by Health Canada. The panel met in Montréal on Nov. 13–14, 2007, to discuss exposure to chrysotile asbestos and lung cancer, pleural mesothelioma and peritoneal mesothelioma. In a letter, panel chair Trevor Ogden wrote that the panel supported the approach of two major reviews. Those reviews generally showed a strong relationship of exposure with lung cancer but a much less certain relationship with mesothelioma. The panelists did not reach absolute agreement. Ogden wrote that no one questioned during the two days of discussion that commercial chrysotile causes cancer; the disagreement was on the degree of risk, especially at low exposure. All six signed the consensus statement, but two added statements of reservation: one said it underestimated the risk, the other that it overestimated it. The reports were submitted Mar. 18, 2008, and their release was delayed for more than a year. Health Canada said the delay was needed to review the findings and consult partners. An outside expert, Alex Burdorf, said the report presented no novel conclusions.

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: news article (journalist's report on an expert panel's reports; not a research study)
• Who was studied: A 6-member expert panel commissioned by Health Canada, which met in Montréal, Quebec, on Nov. 13–14, 2007; the reports were submitted Mar. 18, 2008
• Exposure: Chrysotile asbestos, in relation to lung cancer, pleural mesothelioma and peritoneal mesothelioma
• Main results:
  • According to the panel chair's letter, the 2 major reviews the panel supported generally showed a strong relationship of chrysotile exposure with lung cancer but a much less certain relationship with mesothelioma
  • The panel chair wrote that no one questioned that commercial chrysotile asbestos causes cancer; the disagreement was on the degree of risk, especially at low exposure
  • All 6 panelists signed the consensus statement; 2 added statements of reservation, one saying it underestimated and one saying it overestimated the risk
  • The reports were submitted Mar. 18, 2008, and the government delayed their release for more than a year
  • Health Canada said it took the time to review the findings and consult federal and provincial partners
  • Outside expert Alex Burdorf said the panel's report did not present any novel conclusions
• The authors' conclusion: The news article draws no conclusion of its own. It reports that the panel's conclusions essentially supported previous studies.

Topics

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

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