Particulate matter of particular interest

Our plain-English summary of Particulate matter of particular interest, by R.J. Duma (Annals of Internal Medicine, 1973).

The study

• Author: R.J. Duma
• Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine
• Published: 1973;78(1):146-7
• Cited by: 2 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher
• In J-M's library: Johns-Manville's company medical library held a copy (J-M no. 002384).

In plain English

This is a short editorial note, not a research study, and it reports no new data of its own. The author commented on a separate study by Nicholson, Maggiore and Selikoff, published in Science. The author described that study as finding excessive quantities of chrysotile asbestos fibrils in 6 of 17 samples of commercially available injectable (parenteral) medications. According to the editorial, the apparent source of the fibers was asbestos filters that industry used to sterilize the final solution and remove foreign material from it. The author raised concern for patients who receive intravenous fluids and medications over long periods, such as burn patients and people receiving total parenteral nutrition. The author noted that the clinical significance was unknown and that the Nicholson study required further confirmation. The author concluded that industry should be compelled to find a substitute for asbestos filters, or to guarantee that no such fibers or fibrils would be present in the final marketed product.

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: Editorial commentary (editorial note); no original study was carried out
• Who was studied: No population was studied. The editorial discussed patients receiving intravenous fluids and medications, especially over long periods, such as burn patients and patients receiving total parenteral nutrition.
• Exposure: Chrysotile asbestos fibrils in commercially available parenteral (injectable) medications. As described in the editorial, the separate study by Nicholson, Maggiore and Selikoff found them in 6 of 17 samples, apparently coming from asbestos filters used in manufacturing.
• The authors' conclusion: The author concluded that industry should be compelled to find a substitute for asbestos filters or to guarantee that no such fibers or fibrils would be present in the final marketed product.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • The author stated that the Nicholson, Maggiore and Selikoff study required further confirmation.
  • The author stated that the clinical significance of asbestos in the medications was unknown.

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