Asbestos fiber analysis in 27 malignant mesothelioma cases

The asbestos body counts per 5 gm wet lung tissue in 27 (23 pleural and 4 peritoneal) malignant mesothelioma cases derived from 19 autopsy and 8 surgical cases were, according to our own criteria, low level exposure in 13 cases (48.2%), moderate level exposure in 2 cases (7.4%), and high level exposure in 12 cases (44.4%). In our previous study on 235 consecutive autopsy cases, the low level exposure was considered to be environmental, the moderate level was secondary or blue collar, and the high level was occupational. In the present study, about half of the cases examined (44.4%, high level exposure) are closely related to some occupational asbestos exposure and the other half (48.2%) to environmental exposure. The type and size of asbestos fibers from the 12 cases of high level exposure were analyzed and the characteristics were compared with those of cases of low level exposure without lung cancer or mesothelioma. Most fibers analyzed (98%) were longer than 5 microns and thicker than 0.10 micron by our counting rules. In the control group, predominant fibers were tremolite or actinolite. In all the 11 pleural mesothelioma cases, the content of amosite fibers was significantly higher than in the controls. In one case of peritoneal mesothelioma, incipient asbestosis was found and the predominant fibers were crocidolite. It is suggested that the presence of amosite and crocidolite is linked to mesothelioma. The mean lengths of amosite and crocidolite, as detected by our resolution capabilities, were 36.0 and 20.9 microns, and the mean diameters were 0.51 and 0.27 micron, respectively. Both amosite and crocidolite fibers had high aspect ratios (94.2 and 115.4).