Asbestos related lung disease in maintenance workers

Our plain-English summary of Asbestos related lung disease in maintenance workers, by M. Huncharek, J. Capotorto (British Journal of Industrial Medicine, 1988).

The study

• Authors: M. Huncharek, J. Capotorto
• Journal: British Journal of Industrial Medicine
• Published: 1988;45(3):203-4
• Type of article: Letter
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text
• In J-M's library: Johns-Manville's company medical library held a copy (J-M no. 000232).

In plain English

This item is a short letter to the editor, not an original study, and it reported no new data. The authors were responding to a study by Hilt of non-malignant asbestos related lung disorders in a cohort of chemical industry workers exposed to asbestos. They said that study highlighted the role of "indirect" or "secondary" exposure at work. As examples, they cited other researchers' work. Paci and colleagues described an asbestos hazard among "rag sorters" in non-asbestos textile work in Italy. A study of 115 New York City Board of Education maintenance workers found that 23% had x ray abnormalities consistent with asbestos exposure. The letter says a significant burden of asbestosis remained when workers with previous shipyard exposure were excluded, and gives the figure 26%. The authors noted a United States Environmental Protection Agency estimate that about 30 000 school buildings contain friable asbestos, which they said may pose a risk to maintenance workers. The authors concluded that continued surveillance of such groups would help define the risk of asbestos disease from indirect exposure.

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: letter to the editor (correspondence) commenting on another published study; no original data
• Who was studied: No population was studied by the authors. The letter comments on Hilt's study of a cohort of chemical industry workers exposed to asbestos and cites other studies of maintenance workers and textile workers.
• Exposure: Indirect or secondary occupational exposure to asbestos, particularly among maintenance workers and in non-asbestos industries
• Main results:
  • Cited from Paci et al (not this letter's own finding): an asbestos hazard among rag sorters in the non-asbestos reprocessed textile industry in Italy, who were exposed to asbestos fibres freed from polypropylene bags previously used to transport asbestos
  • Cited from a study of New York City Board of Education maintenance personnel (not this letter's own finding): of 115 workers examined, 23% had x ray abnormalities consistent with exposure to asbestos
  • Cited from the same New York City study: the letter states a significant burden of asbestosis was found even when those with previous shipyard exposure were excluded, giving the figure 26%
  • Cited estimate from the United States Environmental Protection Agency: about 30 000 school buildings across the United States contain friable asbestos, which the authors said may pose a risk to maintenance personnel
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that, as Hilt's study suggested, continued surveillance of such groups will provide the information needed to define the risk of non-malignant and malignant asbestos disease due to indirect exposure.

Related studies

• A radiographic survey of public school building maintenance and custodial employees — H.A. Anderson, L.P. Hanrahan, et al. (1992)
• Maintenance work and asbestos-related cancers in the refinery and petrochemical sector — M.M. Finkelstein (1999)
• Maintenance work and asbestos-related cancers in the refinery and petrochemical sector — M.M. Finkelstein (1999)
• Asbestos-related disease in custodial and building maintenance workers from a large municipal school district — J.R. Balmes, A. Daponte, et al. (1991)
• Asbestos-related abnormalities in school maintenance personnel — L.C. Oliver, N.L. Sprince, et al. (1991)
• Medicolegal aspects of the third wave of asbestos-related disease in Australia — J.R. Gordon, J. Leigh (2011)

Browse more research in British Journal of Industrial Medicine, or return to medical research.