Retroperitoneal and pleural fibrosis in an insulator working in power plants

We describe a case history of a former insulator who developed concomitant retroperitoneal and pleural fibrosis. In his work, the patient had been exposed on a daily basis to asbestos dust while demolishing and installing pipeline insulations. The heavy asbestos exposure was confirmed by a high level of asbestos content in his autopsy lung sample. We propose that both retroperitoneal fibrosis and diffuse pleural thickening were induced in our patient by an abundant amount of amphibole asbestos fibres found in his lung and retroperitoneal tissues.