[Pleural fibrosis from asbestos]

A case of pleural plaques due to asbestos exposure in a 55-year-old man after 30 years of "sporadic" activity in a chemical plant brings out the following: 1. the need for careful investigation of the patient's occupational history, both past and present; 2. the latency of the disease and the long-term action of micropollution; 3. the wide distribution of asbestos industry ("urban hazard"); 4. if the use of asbestos is to continue, the urgency of more effective regulations to facilitate primary prevention; 5. the usefulness of special radiology for diagnosis (45 degrees X-ray, ultrasonography, tomodensitometry). Radiophoto screening is inadequate.