Environmental asbestos exposure alters the male:female ratio in patients with pleural mesothelioma

Our plain-English summary of Environmental asbestos exposure alters the male:female ratio in patients with pleural mesothelioma, by E. Gogou, T. Kerenidi, V. Chamos, et al (Respirology, 2008).

The study

• Authors: E. Gogou, T. Kerenidi, V. Chamos, C. Hatzoglou, K.I. Gourgoulianis
• Journal: Respirology
• Published: 2008;13(6):931
• Type of article: Comment, Letter
• Cited by: 1 article, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

In plain English

This was a one-page letter to the editor, not a research study, and it reported no new data. The authors, from the University of Thessaly in Greece, commented on an earlier article by Metintas and colleagues about pleural mesothelioma in people with non-occupational asbestos exposure. As the letter described it, that study found a male to female ratio of 1:1 and a mean age at diagnosis of about 58 years. The letter stated that after occupational exposure the ratio is usually 3:1 to 12:1. The authors also cited their own earlier published study of mesothelioma deaths in Greece from 1983 to 2003. That study found increased mesothelioma mortality in Epirus, the region where Metsovo is located. Of 28 mesothelioma deaths, 12 were among farmers (4 men and 8 women). The letter noted wide past use in Metsovo of 'luto', an asbestos-contaminated soil. The authors concluded that environmental asbestos exposure may now be more serious and insidious than occupational exposure. They called on governments to raise awareness and to restrict use of the material. They also urged governments, if possible, to move populations from areas with increased levels of environmental asbestos fibres.

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 commenting on another published study; no original research
• Who was studied: No population was studied in this letter. It discussed the Metintas et al. study of pleural mesothelioma in a population with non-occupational asbestos exposure, and the authors' own earlier study of mesothelioma mortality in Greece from 1983 to 2003.
• Exposure: Non-occupational (environmental) asbestos exposure, including the past use in Metsovo, Greece, of 'luto', described as asbestos-contaminated soil. No fiber type was named.
• Main results:
  • As reported by the letter about the Metintas et al. study (not this letter's own finding): the male to female ratio of pleural mesothelioma patients with non-occupational exposure was 1:1.
  • As stated by the letter: pleural mesothelioma after occupational asbestos exposure usually occurs in men and women in a ratio of 3:1 to 12:1.
  • As reported by the letter about the Metintas et al. study: mean age at diagnosis was approximately 58 years.
  • From the authors' earlier published study (not this letter): increased mesothelioma mortality was identified in Epirus, the region where Metsovo is located.
  • From the authors' earlier published study: of 28 deaths due to mesothelioma, 12 were among farmers (4 men and 8 women).
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that environmental asbestos exposure may nowadays be more serious and insidious than occupational exposure, because occupational exposure is a known hazard with mandatory precautions. They called on governments to raise awareness, restrict use of the material and, if possible, move populations from areas with increased environmental asbestos fibre levels.

Topics

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

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Asbestos Exposure, Pleural Mesothelioma.

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