Asbestos-associated pleural mesothelioma in school teachers: a discussion of four cases

The causal relationship between malignant mesothelioma and exposure to asbestos is well established. In part as a result of that association, much public attention has focused on asbestos abatement in buildings, such as public schools, in which that asbestos was used as a construction material. The present communication is a report of four cases of malignant mesothelioma in school teachers whose only apparent exposure to asbestos was in the schools in which they taught. The concerns raised by this report are also discussed.