Fibrin clots have been detected at sites of inflammation, and kinins have been implicated as mediators of the vascular phenomena of acute inflammation, systemic shock, and disseminated intravascular coagulation. It is now reported that both negatively and positively charged asbestos fibers shorten the partial thromboplastin time of human plasma, indicating coagulation of the plasma. A sample co...

Fibre concentrations of asbestos were measured in the air of a communal dining room in which the damaged ceiling had a sprayed on coating of insulation containing asbestos. The average concentration of crocidolite asbestos fibres was 4 f/cm3, 20 times the highest air concentration that appears to have been reported previously for a public building. It is concluded that although air concentratio...

Thirty three pairs of chest radiographs taken up to 10 years apart were obtained for 33 subjects suffering from asbestosis who had applied for compensation to the Pneumoconiosis Medical Board of Western Australia. Multiple films from the period before the first radiograph in each pair, from the intervening period between the two, and from the period subsequent to the second radiograph were also...

Exposure to asbestos can cause benign pleural lesions, the most common of which are parietal plaques. Diffuse fibrotic changes of the pleura can also occur.' The clinical significance of plaques is slight. Diffuse pleural thickening, on the other hand, can lead to a considerable decrease in lung function.`3 The International Labour Office (ILO) system for classification of pneumoconioses does n...

The abilities of chrysotile and crocidolite asbestos, glass fibers of differing dimensions, and nonfibrous mineral particulates to induce morphological transformation of Syrian hamster embryo cells in culture were compared. Chrysotile and crocidolite asbestos induced morphologically transformed colonies which were indistinguishable from transformed colonies observed following treatment with kno...

The cell transforming ability of asbestos dusts was investigated using C3H10T1/2 murine fibroblasts. In a series of experiments, crocidolite and amosite caused no increase in the number of transformed colonies over that seen in cultures from untreated cells. The dusts were, however, capable of augmenting the oncogenic effect of benzo(a)pyrene. This synergistic effect was evident when fibers and...