Observations on the distribution of asbestos fibers in human lungs

In an attempt to begin evaluating the distribution of mineral fibers within lung, multiple small adjacent samples were selected from peripheral portions of three normal and six asbestotic lungs, and analyzed for asbestos and nonasbestos fiber content. For both normal and fibrotic lungs there was marked variation in fiber concentration from site to site; the mean in-case ratio of maximum to minimum fiber concentration was 7.5 for amosite and crocidolite, 7.0 for tremolite, 3.8 for chrysotile, 4.0 for nonasbestos fibers, and 5.4 for asbestos bodies. In order to test the precision of the membrane filter method of quantitating particulates, multiple replicate samples of reference mineral standards were examined in a similar fashion; for these standard samples the ratio of maximum to minimum particle concentration varied from only 1.3 to 1.5. It is concluded that: (1) the membrane filter preparation technique used here for counting fibers provides reproducible results, and (2) there is marked variation in asbestos and nonasbestos fiber concentration from area to area within lung tissue. The latter finding implies that analysis of small subpleural lung biopsies may produce misleading results, and that larger pieces or several pieces should be analyzed when attempting to define total asbestos fiber content of the lung.