Review article. Asbestosis: a reassessment of the overall problem

Our plain-English summary of Review article. Asbestosis: a reassessment of the overall problem, by T.J. Haley (Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 1975).

The study

• Author: T.J. Haley
• Journal: Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences
• Published: 1975;64(9):1435-49
• Cited by: 15 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. 002325).

Summary of the article

This review, from the National Center for Toxicological Research of the US Food and Drug Administration, reassessed the overall problem of asbestosis. The author noted that occupational asbestos exposure had been established as a cause of mesothelioma and of lung, esophageal and stomach cancer after latent periods of 20 to 40 years. He also noted that the daily dumping since 1955 of 67,000 short tons of taconite tailings containing amosite fibers into Lake Superior, Duluth's potable water supply, had raised concern about cancer risk. Drawing on 246 references, the review summarized asbestos sources and uses, analytical methods, the biochemistry of asbestos bodies, dust measurement, exposure limits and respiratory protection, animal and in vitro studies, and the diagnosis, pathology and epidemiology of human disease. Industries covered included mining and milling, friction materials, textiles, insulation, pipe covering and ship repair. For example, it reported a mesothelioma risk in insulation workers of 10 per 307, compared with 3 per 31,652 in the general population. The author stated that ingestion had not been shown to cause gastrointestinal cancer. Duluth cancer mortality showed no increase, but only 14 years had passed. He concluded that more attention must be paid to analytical chemistry, particle size and epidemiology. He recommended cohort studies with exposure assessment and well-designed animal ingestion studies.

PubMed has no abstract for this study, and the article doesn't print one. We wrote this summary from the full article with the help of AI. It is not the authors' wording.

In plain English

This 1975 article was a review of published research on asbestos. It covered chemistry and laboratory analysis, workplace dust measurement and protection, animal experiments, and human disease in industries including mining and milling, brake work, textiles, insulation and ship repair. The author began by stating it had been established that occupational exposure causes mesothelioma of the pleura and peritoneum and cancers of the lung, esophagus and stomach after 20 to 40 years. The author also stated it had not been established that swallowing asbestos fibers causes cancer of the digestive tract. The review noted that animal studies had given asbestos by various routes, but not by mouth. One cited study reported mesothelioma risk in insulation workers of 10 per 307, versus 3 per 31,652 in the general population. For amosite fibers in Duluth's Lake Superior water supply, the review cited an analysis finding no increase in cancer deaths. The author noted that only 14 years had passed, while asbestos-induced cancer requires at least 20. The author concluded that analytical chemistry, particle size and epidemiology needed more attention, and called for animal studies of swallowed asbestos.

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: narrative review of published literature
• Who was studied: Published studies (246 references) on asbestos chemistry, industrial hygiene, animal and human toxicology, and cancer, including workers in mining and milling, friction materials, textiles, insulation, pipe insulation and ship repair, and residents exposed through the Duluth water supply
• Exposure: All varieties of asbestos as listed by the article: actinolite, amosite, anthophyllite, chrysotile, crocidolite and tremolite. Includes occupational exposure across many industries, and amosite fibers in taconite tailings dumped into Lake Superior, the drinking-water source for Duluth.
• Main results:
  • The author stated that it had not been established, either in experiments or in humans, that swallowing asbestos fibers causes cancer of the digestive tract.
  • The review reported that all forms of asbestos had been given to many animal species by various routes, but not by mouth.
  • A cited study reported that the risk of mesothelioma of the pleura or peritoneum for asbestos insulation workers was 10 per 307, compared with 3 per 31,652 for the general population.
  • A cited survey of 370 asbestos insulation workers indicated that cigarette smokers had a risk of lung cancer printed as "92 time greater" than non-smokers.
  • A cited mortality study of 9,981 people in Quebec chrysotile mines found 97 lung cancers and three mesotheliomas. It was suggested there that chrysotile may be less carcinogenic than other varieties.
  • The review noted that asbestos bodies in the lungs do not indicate that asbestosis or pleural mesothelioma will occur or has occurred, because they had been detected in 50% of the general population in certain areas.
  • For the Duluth water supply, a cited analysis of regional cancer mortality found no increase in any age group. The author noted that only 14 years had passed, while asbestos-induced cancer requires at least 20 years.
• The authors' conclusion: The author concluded that more attention must be paid to analytical chemistry, particle size and epidemiology, since particle size appears to be the controlling factor in causing asbestosis and cancer. The author also recommended experimental animal studies of ingested asbestos.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • The author noted that epidemiological studies are extremely difficult in an area where diagnostic procedures are in a state of flux, and that unknown factors can limit the value of their results.
  • The author noted that the Duluth cancer mortality analysis covered only 14 years, while asbestos-induced cancer requires at least 20.

Topics

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

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Asbestos Exposure, Mesothelioma, Stomach Cancer, Taconite, Tailings, Amosite, Asbestos Bodies, Respirator.

Related studies

• Commentary regarding the article by Fischer et al.: Fibre years, pulmonary asbestos burden and asbestosis. Int. J. Hyg. Environ. Health 205, 245-248 (2002) — D.W. Henderson (2003)
• Commentary regarding the article by Fischer et al.: Fibre years, pulmonary asbestos burden and asbestosis. Int. J. Hyg. Environ. Health 205, 245-248 (2002) — K. Rödelsperger, H.J. Woitowitz (2003)
• The biology of talc — G.Y. Hildick-Smith (1976)
• Current opinions on the asbestos cancer problem — J.C. Wagner (1972)
• Variability in interpretation of radiographs for asbestosis abnormalities: problems and solutions — A.M. Ducatman (1991)
• Penetration of overall hoods by water-borne crocidolite fibres — R. Goode, T. Waldron (1977)

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