Lung cancer from asbestos textured ceilings: a case study

Our plain-English summary of Lung cancer from asbestos textured ceilings: a case study, by J.G. Dahlgren, P.J. Talbott (International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health, 2016).

The study

• Authors: J.G. Dahlgren, P.J. Talbott
• Journal: International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health
• Published: 2016;22(2):175-8
• Type of article: Case report
• Cited by: 2 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

Abstract

Background: Asbestos was used in spray applied textured ceilings from 1945 to at least 1980. Exposure to asbestos and the probability of developing lung disease is high in individuals who lived with these types of ceilings in their home. Asbestos exposure and frequency of disease is even higher in an apartment suffering from flooding, maintenance, and/or multiple structural impacts.

Purpose: Our goal is to examine a case of lung cancer in a non-smoking individual exposed to asbestos from the damaged acoustic ceilings in her apartment.

Methods: The subject's medical and occupational records were obtained and reviewed and a physical examination was performed. Exposure ratings were obtained from previous literature for discussion purposes.

Conclusion: Asbestos-textured ceilings are a possible source of asbestos exposure and there may be a risk of developing cancer in individuals exposed to ceiling deterioration.

In plain English

This article is a case report about one woman, a non-smoker who worked as a writer and a model. From 1982 until late 2012 she lived in an apartment with a spray-applied acoustic (textured) ceiling. The authors reviewed her medical and occupational records and examined her. Water leaks damaged the ceiling on and off for more than 18 years, and repairs included sanding it. Two consulting companies found asbestos at 2 to 6% of the bulk material. The article does not name the fiber type. She was diagnosed with metastatic lung cancer in late 2010. Lung nodules removed in late 2012 showed tissue findings compatible with asbestosis, but asbestos bodies and fibers were not counted. The authors did not measure the air in her apartment. Using measurements from other buildings, they estimated 0.33 or 12.19 fiber-years for her first 11 years, depending on the study used, plus a further 153.63 fiber-years for her 18 years of exposure to the damaged ceiling. They said this was likely an underestimate. The authors concluded that asbestos-textured ceilings are a possible source of exposure and that there may be a cancer risk.

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 (case study) of one person, based on review of medical and occupational records and a physical examination
• Who was studied: one woman with no smoking history, employed as a writer and a model, who lived in an apartment with an acoustic ceiling from 1982 until she moved out in late 2012; the article does not state the location
• Exposure: asbestos-containing spray-applied acoustic (textured) ceiling in her apartment, damaged by repeated water intrusion from 1993 on and off until 2011 and sanded during repairs; consulting companies found asbestos at 2 to 6% of the bulk material (fiber type not stated)
• Main results:
  • Water damage to her apartment ceiling was reported over more than 18 years
  • Repairs to the damaged ceiling included sanding it
  • She was diagnosed with metastatic lung cancer in late 2010
  • Enlarging lung nodules removed in late 2012 had histology compatible with asbestosis
  • Neither asbestos bodies nor fibers were counted in her tissue
  • Using undisturbed-condition air measurements from other buildings (Sawyer and Chadwick), the authors estimated her exposure for her first 11 years at 0.33 fiber-years and 12.19 fiber-years respectively, as alternative estimates
  • Using Sawyer's mean fiber count of 5.69 f/cm3 for all conditions, the authors calculated an additional 153.63 fiber-years for her further 18 years of exposure to the damaged ceiling; this is an addition, not a total that includes the first 11 years
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that asbestos-textured ceilings are a possible source of asbestos exposure and that there may be a risk of developing cancer in people exposed to ceiling deterioration
• Limitations the authors state:
  • The authors stated that their fiber-year exposure estimate is likely an underestimation

Topics

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

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Lung Cancer, Asbestos Exposure.

Related studies

• Airborne exposure concentrations during asbestos abatement of ceiling and wall plaster — J.H. Lange, K.W. Thomulka (2002)
• Exposure to airborne asbestos during abatement of ceiling material, window caulking, floor tile and roofing material — J.H. Lange, S.L. Sites, et al. (2008)
• Case-control study on lung cancer and residential radon in western Germany — L. Kreienbrock, M. Kreuzer, et al. (2001)
• Non-occupational exposure to asbestos and risk of pleural mesothelioma: review and meta-analysis — G.M. Marsh, A.S. Riordan, et al. (2017)
• Risk of cancer associated with residential exposure to asbestos insulation: a whole-population cohort study — R.J. Korda, M.S. Clements, et al. (2017)
• Assessment of environmental and domestic exposure to tremolite in New Caledonia — D. Luce, M.A. Billon-Galland, et al. (2004)

Browse more research in International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health, or return to medical research.