Asbestos-related disease in the jewelry industry: report of two cases

Our plain-English summary of Asbestos-related disease in the jewelry industry: report of two cases, by D.G. Kern, H. Frumkin (American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 1988).

The study

• Authors: D.G. Kern, H. Frumkin
• Journal: American Journal of Industrial Medicine
• Published: 1988;13(3):407-10
• Type of article: Case report
• Cited by: 4 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. 000236).

Abstract

We describe two cases of asbestos-related pulmonary disease in jewelry workers. Exposures occurred during the hand-mixing of asbestos powder used to make jewelry soldering boards.

In plain English

This brief communication reported two cases of asbestos-related lung disease in jewelry workers in Rhode Island. Each man had made soldering forms by hand-mixing asbestos powder with plaster of paris and water, without respiratory protection. The first, a 59-year-old man seen in 1985, did this for 8 hours daily from 1939 to 1982. The second, a 70-year-old man seen in 1987, did it for about 6 hours a day from 1932 to 1942 and 1950 to 1974. Both had smoked. The first man was diagnosed with asbestos-related pleural plaques and chronic bronchitis, and his lung function tests were normal. The second was diagnosed with pulmonary asbestosis, asbestos-related pleural plaques and chronic bronchitis, with a reduced diffusion capacity of 55% of predicted. Soldering forms supplied by the men contained 25% to 45% chrysotile asbestos. For both men, a review of their history revealed no other occupational, recreational or familial exposure to asbestos. The authors concluded that the cases illustrate a significant asbestos hazard in making these forms. They added that patients and suppliers told them some smaller plants still used asbestos forms.

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: Case report (brief communication describing two cases)
• Who was studied: Two male jewelry workers seen at the Roger Williams General Hospital Occupational Health Service in Rhode Island: a 59-year-old man seen in October 1985 and a 70-year-old man seen in January 1987
• Exposure: Both men hand-mixed asbestos powder with plaster of paris and water to make jewelry soldering forms, without respiratory protection. Case 1 did this 8 hours daily from 1939 to 1982 and sometimes hand-ground asbestos sheets to get powder. Case 2 did it about 6 hours daily from 1932 to 1942 and from 1950 to 1974. The forms contained chrysotile asbestos. Case 1 had smoked four packs a day until age 45, and Case 2 had smoked one to two packs daily until 1972.
• Main results:
  • Case 1: chest X-rays showed extensive calcified pleural plaques and pulmonary function tests were normal. He was diagnosed with asbestos-related pleural plaques and chronic bronchitis.
  • Case 2: chest X-rays showed a reticular interstitial pattern throughout all lung fields (ILO/UICC B-reading s/t 2/3) and bilateral calcified pleural plaques.
  • Case 2: pulmonary function tests were normal except for a decreased single breath diffusion capacity (11.1 ml/min/mm Hg, 55% predicted).
  • Case 2 was diagnosed with pulmonary asbestosis, asbestos-related pleural plaques and chronic bronchitis.
  • Case 2 had an open lung biopsy in 1974 after coughing up blood. Fibrosis was noted, but the pathology report did not mention asbestos bodies, and the specimens had been discarded.
  • Soldering forms supplied by the two patients contained from 25% to 45% chrysotile asbestos, by polarized light microscopy with dispersion staining.
  • For both cases, a historical review revealed no other occupational, recreational or familial asbestos exposure.
  • The authors reported that major jewelry manufacturers had converted to asbestos-free soldering boards 5 to 10 years earlier. Patients and local suppliers told them that asbestos forms were still used in some smaller plants.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that the two cases illustrate a significant asbestos hazard associated with making soldering forms for costume jewelry manufacture. They added that other employees may also have been exposed through proximity, environmental contamination or use of the forms.

Topics

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

Related studies

• Asbestos-related disease in the jewelry industry — D.G. Kern, H. Frumkin (1990)
• Malignant mesothelioma in the jewelry industry — D.G. Kern, K.T. Hanley, et al. (1992)
• An investigation into asbestos related disease in the dental industry — C. Fry (2009)
• Double standards: the multinational asbestos industry and asbestos-related disease in South Africa — J. McCulloch, G. Tweedale (2004)
• Compensation for Asbestos-Related Diseases in Japan: Utilization of Standard Classifications of Industry and Occupations — K. Sawanyawisuth, S. Furuya, et al. (2017)
• Asbestos-related diseases in construction carpenters — M. García-Closas, D.C. Christiani (1995)

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