Mesothelioma: you do not have to work for it

Our plain-English summary of Mesothelioma: you do not have to work for it, by E.J. Ampleford, J. Ohar (Diagnostic Cytopathology, 2007).

The study

• Authors: E.J. Ampleford, J. Ohar
• Journal: Diagnostic Cytopathology
• Published: 2007;35(12):774-7
• Type of article: Case report
• Cited by: 8 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

Asbestos pollution is a global problem. Asbestos exposure induced mesothelioma does not require an 'occupational' type of exposure. Bystander exposures may result in earlier age of disease onset and more aggressive disease progression as described in the following 3 case reports.

Copyright 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

In plain English

This article presented case reports of three women with what the authors called bystander asbestos exposure. Mrs. X had no known occupational asbestos exposure. She lived within two blocks of a factory making asbestos cement pipe, mainly with crocidolite. Her father worked there for 30 years; as a child she visited the plant and helped launder his clothes. In 2002 she presented with a right pleural effusion and was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma, epithelial type. Ms. Y lived close to Mrs. X for most of her life. In 2000 a lung mass was removed; pleural plaques were seen. Crocidolite fibers were found in her lungs at levels consistent with occupational exposure. Her final diagnosis is not clearly stated. Miss S was exposed through her father's work clothes, which she sometimes helped launder. At 22 she was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma, epithelial type, involving almost all peritoneal surfaces. The authors concluded that physicians may need to consider mesothelioma, regardless of occupational exposure, in women and people aged 40 or over with unexplained chest pain, fatigue, weight loss, unilateral pleural effusions or asymmetric pleural thickening.

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 (three cases)
• Who was studied: Three women in the US described as having bystander exposure to asbestos: Mrs. X (63 years old), Ms. Y (51 years old) and Miss S (described as 23 years old, and as 22 at hospital admission in August 2002)
• Exposure: Mrs. X and Ms. Y: residence near a cement factory that made asbestos cement (Transite) pipe, mainly using crocidolite. Mrs. X also visited her father at the plant and laundered his work clothes. Miss S: her father's work clothes; he worked with asbestos at an aluminum can company, including furnace refractory and insulation work.
• Main results:
  • Mrs. X presented with a right pleural effusion in March 2002. Pleural biopsy showed malignant mesothelioma, epithelial type.
  • Ms. Y: pleural plaques were noted at surgery in April 2000.
  • Ms. Y: crocidolite fibers were found in her lungs at levels consistent with occupational exposure (no number given).
  • Miss S was diagnosed at exploratory laparotomy in August 2002 with malignant mesothelioma, epithelial type.
  • Miss S: the tumor involved almost all peritoneal surfaces.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that physicians may need to consider mesothelioma, regardless of occupational asbestos exposure, in women and in people aged 40 and over with unexplained chest pain, fatigue, weight loss, unilateral pleural effusions or asymmetric pleural thickening. They also suggested that newborn or childhood bystander exposure may result in a more aggressive tumor type.

Topics

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

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Mesothelioma, Asbestos Exposure, Bystander Exposure, Disease Progression.

Related studies

• Mesothelioma in household members of asbestos-exposed workers: 32 United States cases since 1990 — A. Miller (2005)
• Indirect exposures: the significance of bystanders at work and at home — P. Grandjean, E. Bach (1986)
• Incidence and survival trends for malignant pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma, Australia, 1982-2009 — M.J. Soeberg, J. Leigh, et al. (2016)
• Malignant mesothelioma in Italy, 1997 — M. Nesti, A. Marinaccio, et al. (2004)
• Asbestos-related radiographic findings among household contacts of workers exposed to Libby vermiculite: impact of workers' personal hygiene practices — T.J. Hilbert, A. Franzblau, et al. (2013)
• Decline in death rates among asbestos insulation workers 1967-1986 associated with diminution of work exposure to asbestos — H. Seidman, I.J. Selikoff (1990)

Browse more research in Diagnostic Cytopathology, or return to medical research.