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[Asbestos-related occupational cancers]
Jacques Ameille1, Pierre Ruffié, Alain Bergeret
1Unité de pathologie professionnelle et de santé au travail, hôpital Raymond Poincaré, AP-HP, 92380 Garches. jacques.ameille@rpc.ap-hop-paris.fr
La Revue Du Praticien
|December 21, 2004
Summary
Occupational asbestos exposure significantly increases the risk of lung cancer and mesothelioma. No safe exposure threshold exists, highlighting the need for stringent safety measures for workers handling asbestos.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Occupational Medicine
- Oncology
Context:
- Asbestos, known for its physical properties, has seen widespread industrial use.
- An estimated 25% of French retired workers have occupational asbestos exposure.
- Established causal links exist between asbestos exposure and various cancers, including lung cancer and mesothelioma.
Purpose:
- To review the established causal relationships between asbestos exposure and respiratory and other cancers.
- To quantify the estimated contribution of occupational asbestos exposure to lung cancer and mesothelioma incidence.
- To discuss the dose-response relationship and the absence of a safe exposure threshold.
Summary:
- Asbestos exposure is causally linked to lung cancer (since 1955) and pleural mesothelioma (since 1960), as well as peritoneal and pericardic mesotheliomas.
- Laryngeal cancers are also strongly suspected to be linked to asbestos exposure.
- Occupational asbestos exposure is estimated to cause 5-20% of lung cancers and 80-90% of pleural mesotheliomas in men in industrialized nations.
Impact:
- The risk of developing cancer is directly correlated with cumulative asbestos exposure.
- No safe exposure threshold has been identified, meaning any exposure carries an increased risk.
- This underscores the critical importance of minimizing occupational asbestos exposure to prevent asbestos-related diseases.