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Lung Asbestos Fibre Burden and Pleural Mesothelioma in Women with Non-occupational Exposure

Pietro Gino Barbieri1, Anna Somigliana2, Yao Chen3

  • 1Formerly Mesothelioma Registry, Occupational Health Unit, Local Health Authority, Brescia, Italy.

Annals of Work Exposures and Health
|February 18, 2020
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

Familial asbestos exposure can lead to cumulative doses similar to moderate occupational exposure. Combined environmental and familial asbestos exposure may result in unexpectedly high asbestos fiber doses in malignant pleural mesothelioma patients.

Area of Science:

  • Environmental Health
  • Occupational Medicine
  • Pathology

Background:

  • Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is linked to asbestos exposure, but cumulative dose data is scarce.
  • Non-occupational asbestos exposure (familial, environmental) is recognized but less quantified.
  • Understanding dose-response relationships is crucial for risk assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To quantify lung asbestos burden in women with MPM.
  • To assess cumulative asbestos dose from familial and environmental exposures.
  • To correlate exposure types with asbestos body and fiber levels in lung tissue.

Main Methods:

  • Autopsy lung tissue samples from 15 non-occupationally exposed MPM cases were analyzed.
  • Cases were grouped by exposure type: familial (shipyards), environmental/familial (asbestos-cement plant), or environmental (asbestos-cement plant).
  • Asbestos bodies (AB) and asbestos fibers (AF) were quantified using microscopy.

Main Results:

  • Asbestos body counts varied by exposure group, with the highest GM/GSD in the environmental/familial group (13,800/10.4).
  • Asbestos fiber counts were highest in the environmental/familial group (7.9 million/2.1 GSD) and environmental group (6.0 million/2.3 GSD).
  • Pleural plaques were present in 12 out of 15 cases.

Conclusions:

  • Familial asbestos exposure alone can result in cumulative doses comparable to moderate occupational exposure.
  • Combined environmental and familial asbestos exposure may lead to significantly higher cumulative fiber doses.
  • These findings highlight the substantial risk from non-occupational asbestos exposure pathways.
Keywords:
familial and environmental exposurelung asbestos fibre burdenpleural mesothelioma

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