Pleural mesothelioma cases in Biancavilla are related to a new fluoro-edenite fibrous amphibole

Our plain-English summary of Pleural mesothelioma cases in Biancavilla are related to a new fluoro-edenite fibrous amphibole, by P. Comba, A. Gianfagna, L. Paoletti (Archives of Environmental Health, 2003).

The study

• Authors: P. Comba, A. Gianfagna, L. Paoletti
• Journal: Archives of Environmental Health
• Published: 2003;58(4):229-32
• Cited by: 83 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

A cluster of deaths from pleural mesothelioma was previously reported for Biancavilla, Italy, a city in eastern Sicily. An environmental survey suggested that the stone quarries located southeast of the city might be a source of asbestos exposure. The materials extracted from the quarries, used widely in the local building industry, contain large quantities of a fibrous amphibole that was initially referred to as an anomalous intermediate phase of sodium- and fluorine-rich tremolite-actinolite. A subsequent crystal chemistry investigation identified the mineral as fluoro-edenite, a new end-member of the edenite --> fluoro-edenite series. The material is very similar in morphology and composition to the minerals of the tremolite-actinolite series. To the authors' knowledge, fluoro-edenite becomes the 3rd mineral fiber (along with erionite and winchite), not yet classified as asbestos, with a demonstrable mesotheliomatogenous action in humans.

In plain English

This short research note described a fibrous mineral found in Biancavilla, a town in eastern Sicily, Italy. Earlier national mortality surveys had found an excess of pleural mesothelioma deaths there: 4 cases in 1988 to 1992 (standardized mortality ratio 417, 95% confidence interval 142 to 954) and 8 more in 1993 to 1997 (ratio 721, 95% confidence interval 359 to 1,300). An earlier environmental survey suggested that stone from quarries at Monte Calvario, widely used in local building, might be a source of asbestos exposure; that work called the fibers sodium- and fluorine-rich tremolite and actinolite. A later study identified the mineral as fluoro-edenite, a new amphibole. The note reported that the fibers resemble some amphibole asbestos fibers in size and shape. It also reported that similar fibers occur in a nearby volcanic formation and that no tremolite-actinolite or other mineral fibers had been found. The authors concluded that the evidence strongly suggests a causal link between fibrous fluoro-edenite and pleural mesothelioma in Biancavilla. They noted it was unclear whether quarry materials were the only route of exposure.

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: Research note: mineralogical and geological description of the fibers, with discussion of earlier epidemiologic and environmental findings
• Who was studied: Residents of Biancavilla, eastern Sicily, Italy, where earlier studies found a cluster of pleural mesothelioma deaths; and fibrous amphibole from the Monte Calvario stone quarries southeast of the town
• Exposure: Fibrous fluoro-edenite, an amphibole not classified as asbestos, present in quarry materials that were widely used for dwellings and road pavements in Biancavilla
• Main results:
  • Earlier national surveys (not this note) found 4 pleural mesothelioma deaths in Biancavilla in 1988 to 1992 (SMR 417, 95% CI 142 to 954) and 8 more in 1993 to 1997 (SMR 721, 95% CI 359 to 1,300)
  • An earlier environmental survey (not this note) suggested that the general environmental source might be asbestos from the Monte Calvario quarries
  • The fluoro-edenite from Biancavilla occurs as fibrous and asbestiform material, as well as prismatic to acicular (needle-like) crystals
  • The fibers were similar in size and shape to some amphibole asbestos fibers (tremolite, actinolite, anthophyllite), sometimes less than 0.5 µm wide and more than 10 µm long
  • Similar fibers were recently found in areas neighboring the quarry, in a different volcanic formation
  • The tremolite-actinolite phases previously proposed were not present in the Monte Calvario volcanic products, and no mineral fibers other than fluoro-edenite had been found
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that the available evidence strongly suggests a causal link between exposure to fibrous fluoro-edenite and pleural mesothelioma in Biancavilla. They described fluoro-edenite as, to their knowledge, the 3rd fiber not yet classified as asbestos (after erionite and winchite) with demonstrable mesothelioma-causing action in humans.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • It was unclear whether the quarry materials used in local building were the only route of exposure for the population.
  • Data on how widely the fibrous amphibole is spread in the area were not conclusive, and a geologic and mineralogical study of the region still had to be completed.
  • Lung tissue was available from only one case, and that sample was too small for histological study.

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, Biancavilla, fluoro-edenite, Amphibole Group, Asbestos Exposure, Tremolite, Actinolite, End-Member.

Related studies

• Effects of the new-identified amphibole fluoro-edenite in lung epithelial cells — S. Travaglione, B. Bruni, et al. (2003)
• Fluoro-edenitic fibres in the sputum of subjects from Biancavilla (Sicily): a pilot study — M.G. Putzu, C. Bruno, et al. (2006)
• Multinucleation and pro-inflammatory cytokine release promoted by fibrous fluoro-edenite in lung epithelial A549 cells — S. Travaglione, B.M. Bruni, et al. (2006)
• Mineral fibre toxicity: expression of retinoblastoma (Rb) and phospho-retinoblastoma (pRb) protein in alveolar epithelial and mesothelial cell lines exposed to fluoro-edenite fibres — G. Musumeci, V. Cardile, et al. (2011)
• Fluoro-edenite fibers induce expression of Hsp70 and inflammatory response — V. Cardile, L. Lombardo, et al. (2007)
• Carcinogenicity of fluoro-edenite, silicon carbide fibres and whiskers, and carbon nanotubes — Y. Grosse, D. Loomis, et al. (2014)

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