Environmental asbestosis complicated by lung cancer

Diagnosis of asbestosis and bronchiolo-alveolar carcinoma was made in a 55-year-old Turkish woman who was a nonsmoker. She originated from and was living in an area with a high prevalence of environmental diseases attributed to tremolite asbestos. Mineralogic analysis of lung tissue revealed very high concentrations of asbestos bodies (1.64 x 10(6)/g of dry tissue) and tremolite fibers (173.7 x 10(6) of dry tissue). This case illustrates the following points: (1) In some areas, environmental exposure can lead to cumulated fiber retention comparable to occupational exposure and thus can represent a risk for lung fibrosis (asbestosis). (2) Lung cancer as a complication of environmental asbestosis also should be considered as a potential environmental disease.