Malignant asbestos-related disease in a population exposed to asbestos

The first asbestos fiber cement plant in Spain operated in Cerdanyola, in the Barcelona metropolitan area, between 1907 and 1997. We describe clinical and epidemiological characteristics of patients diagnosed with the malignant asbestos-related disease (ARD) in the area of the plant between 2007 and 2016.

A prospective, descriptive study was undertaken in the 12 municipalities of the county of Barcelona most proximate to the plant. We describe malignant ARD cases by time of diagnosis, source of exposure, periods of exposure and latency, and distribution by sex. Cumulative incidence and age-standardized incidence rates (ASIR) are calculated.

Of 477 patients diagnosed with ARD between 2007 and 2016, 128 (26%) presented with asbestos-associated malignancy. Pleural mesothelioma was noted in 105 patients (82.0%) with a linear trend Z-score of -0.2 (NS) in men and 2.7 (P < .01) in women. The highest ASIRs for malignant ARD (6.1/100 000 residents/year; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.2-13.3) and pleural mesothelioma (4.8/100 000 residents/year; 95% CI, 1.5-11.6) occurred in municipalities closest to the focal point of contamination. The origin of malignant ARD was nonoccupational in 32.2% of men and 81.6% of women (P < .001).

More than 20 years after the closure of the fiber cement plant, the grave consequences of exposure to asbestos remain. The detection of cases of pleural mesothelioma in men seems to have plateaued whereas in women an ascending trend continues, which principally has its origin in nonoccupational exposures.