Malignant pleural mesothelioma in bakers and pastry cooks

Our plain-English summary of Malignant pleural mesothelioma in bakers and pastry cooks, by V. Ascoli, R. Calisti, C. Carnovale-Scalzo, et al (American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 2001).

The study

• Authors: V. Ascoli, R. Calisti, C. Carnovale-Scalzo, F. Nardi
• Journal: American Journal of Industrial Medicine
• Published: 2001;40(4):371-3
• Type of article: Case report
• Cited by: 9 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

Background: The occurrence of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) among bakers and pastry cooks has never been documented.

Case Reports: We detected eight cases of MPM in bakers, pastry cooks, and biscuit cooks engaged in making, baking/cooking, and selling pastry/bread in two hospital-based series (Rome and Orbassano/Turin, Italy; period 1990-1997; 222 cases). Field-investigations revealed asbestos-containing material (ACM) in ovens for baking bread, that were manufactured prior to the 1980s.

Conclusions: It is suggested that there is a possible new association of the risk of having worked as a baker or pastry cook and MPM. Presumptive source of exposure to asbestos was the use of asbestos-insulated ovens.

Copyright 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

In plain English

This article was a report of eight cases of malignant pleural mesothelioma in people who had worked as bakers, pastry cooks or biscuit cooks. The authors found them by reviewing two hospital-based mesothelioma case series in Rome and Orbassano/Turin, Italy. Three patients were sisters who worked in the same artisanal bakery and belonged to a previously described family cluster of mesothelioma. The authors noted that a genetic background might have increased the sisters' susceptibility. None of the eight showed signs of asbestosis or pleural plaques. Four patients reported exposure to asbestos and fibers released from ovens. The workers' own ovens were no longer available. However, on-site checks in the Turin area found asbestos-containing material in several ovens made in Italy before the early 1980s. This included loose insulating powder (generally chrysotile), door-sealing ropes (usually chrysotile or amosite) and chrysotile 'cardboard'. The time from presumed first exposure to diagnosis was 30 years or more. The authors suggested a possible new association between this work and pleural mesothelioma, with asbestos-insulated ovens as the presumed source. They said more studies were needed to confirm it.

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 reports (case series) drawn from two hospital-based mesothelioma series, with on-site investigation of baking ovens
• Who was studied: Eight patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma who had worked as bakers, biscuit cooks or pastry cooks for at least 1 year. They were five men and three women aged 52 to 75 at diagnosis. Cases 1 to 6 were from Rome and cases 7 and 8 from Orbassano/Turin, Italy. The study period was stated as 1990 to 1997. Three of the women were sisters.
• Exposure: Presumed asbestos exposure from asbestos-insulated baking ovens. The workers' own ovens were not available. Ovens made in Italy before the early 1980s contained four kinds of asbestos-containing material: unbound insulating powder (generally chrysotile), sealing ropes (usually chrysotile or amosite), chrysotile 'cardboard', and boards of chrysotile and resins.
• Main results:
  • None of the eight patients had radiological or pathological signs of pulmonary asbestosis or pleural plaques.
  • In the eight cases, the latency between presumed first asbestos exposure and mesothelioma was 30 years or more, with a mean of 46.62.
  • Four of the eight patients self-reported exposure to asbestos and other fibrous components in ovens.
  • Oven door-sealing ropes found in the field investigation were usually chrysotile or amosite mixed with cotton and nylon.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors hypothesized that mesothelioma in these workers might be attributed to uncovered asbestos-containing material in ovens. They suggested a possible new association between working as a baker or pastry cook and pleural mesothelioma. They said further studies were needed to validate it.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • The ovens these workers actually used were no longer available to examine.
  • The three sisters belonged to a familial mesothelioma cluster, and a genetic background might have increased their susceptibility.
  • The authors stated that more studies are needed to validate the association.

Topics

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

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Pleural Mesothelioma, Asbestos-Containing Material (ACM).

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