Researchers explore possible link between mesothelioma and dust emissions in southern Nevada

Our plain-English summary of Researchers explore possible link between mesothelioma and dust emissions in southern Nevada, by L.H. O'Hanlon (Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 2013).

The study

• Author: L.H. O'Hanlon
• Journal: Journal of the National Cancer Institute
• Published: 2013;105(5):312-4
• Type of article: News
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

In plain English

This is a news article in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, not a research study. It described researchers asking whether naturally occurring fibrous minerals in the desert near Las Vegas might be linked to malignant mesothelioma. According to the article, Francine Baumann, an epidemiologist at the University of Hawaii Cancer Center, analyzed Nevada Central Cancer Registry data for 1995 to 2008 and found 276 mesothelioma cases. Of these, 36 were younger than 55 and 59 were women. Baumann was quoted as saying that Clark County had one woman for three men, compared with a usual average of one woman for every five or six men, and that this probably pointed to an unidentified environmental exposure. Geologists at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas reported finding fibrous amphiboles in southern Nevada and adjacent Arizona. None are considered asbestos, but two resemble fibrous minerals at Libby, Montana. Nevada's state epidemiologist disputed the analysis, saying that the numbers of cases among younger people and women were no higher in Clark County than elsewhere in the country. The article stated that the link was far from certain.

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: News article (journalist's report on ongoing research and differing expert views); not an original research study
• Who was studied: Mesothelioma cases in the Nevada Central Cancer Registry, 1995 to 2008 (276 cases), as analyzed by University of Hawaii researchers and described in the article; attention focused on Clark County, Nevada
• Exposure: Naturally occurring fibrous amphibole minerals found by UNLV geologists in southern Nevada and adjacent Arizona. None are considered asbestos under EPA regulation. Two minerals found in Clark County were described as similar in shape and composition to asbestos-like fibrous minerals in the Libby, Montana vermiculite. No measurements of human exposure were reported.
• Main results:
  • Among the 276 registry mesothelioma cases, 36 were younger than 55 years and 59 were women
  • Ten of those younger than 55 were described as exceptionally young, some in their 30s
  • Baumann was quoted as saying that Clark County had one woman for three men with mesothelioma; the article gave the usual average as one woman for every five or six men
  • The UNLV geologists said two minerals found in Clark County were similar in shape and composition to fibrous minerals in the Libby, Montana vermiculite deposits
  • Nevada State Epidemiologist Ihsan Azzam said that, using the same data set, the numbers of mesothelioma cases among younger people and women were no higher in Clark County than elsewhere in the country
• The authors' conclusion: The article did not reach a conclusion of its own. It reported that the link between the minerals and mesothelioma in Clark County was far from certain. Baumann was quoted as saying the indicators probably showed an environmental exposure that had not been identified, while the state epidemiologist said the researchers' interpretation was wrong.

Topics

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

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Mesothelioma.

Related studies

• The Presence of Asbestos in the Natural Environment is Likely Related to Mesothelioma in Young Individuals and Women from Southern Nevada — F. Baumann, B.J. Buck, et al. (2015)
• Topsoil and urban dust pollution and toxicity in Taranto (southern Italy) industrial area and in a residential district — M. Trifuoggi, G. Pagano, et al. (2018)
• A review of scientific literature examining the mining history, geology, mineralogy, and amphibole asbestos health effects of the Rainy Creek igneous complex, Libby, Montana, USA — B.R. Bandli, M.E. Gunter (2006)
• Investigating palygorskite's role in the development of mesothelioma in southern Nevada: Insights into fiber-induced carcinogenicity — D. Larson, A. Powers, et al. (2016)
• No Increased Risk for Mesothelioma in Relation to Natural-Occurring Asbestos in Southern Nevada — P.S. Pinheiro, H. Jin (2015)
• Reply to "No Increased Risk for Mesothelioma in Relation to Natural-Occurring Asbestos in Southern Nevada" — F. Baumann, B.J. Buck, et al. (2015)

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