We have read the recently published article under an interesting title " Environmentally Related Diseases and the Possibility of Valuation of Their Social Costs " by I. Hajok et al. [1], the main objective of which was " to estimate the risks of the morbidity of the asbestos-related lung cancer in the general population of Poles as the result of increased exposure to asbestos fibers which occur...

Exposure to asbestos fibers is associated with non-neoplastic pleural diseases including plaques, fibrosis, and benign effusions, as well as with diffuse malignant pleural mesothelioma. Translocation and retention of fibers are fundamental processes in understanding the interactions between the dose and dimensions of fibers retained at this anatomic site and the subsequent pathological reaction...

A tiered approach for the assessment of human health risks of soil contamination with asbestos has been developed. When in a specific tier the human health risk can not be rejected, the assessment in the following tier has to be performed. Because the risks of asbestos are caused by inhalation of asbestos fibers, the emission of fibers from soil to air is the determining factor. In Tier 0 of th...

The fibrogenicity and carcinogenicity of asbestos fibers are dependent on several fiber parameters including fiber dimensions. Based on the WHO (World Health Organization) definition, the current regulations focalise on long asbestos fibers (LAF) (Length: L ≥ 5 μm, Diameter: D < 3 μm and L/D ratio > 3). However air samples contain short asbestos fibers (SAF) (L < 5 μm). In a recent study we fou...

By using a transmission electron microscope equipped with an energy dispersive spectrometer, it Was possible to detect the morphological, structural, and chemical characteristics of individual asbestos fibers and clay minerals without any realignment of the equipment. A rapid and convenient procedure for semiquantitative analysis is proposed. Analyses are given for 21 hydrous silicates, asbesto...

In this study, we analyzed the effects of synthetic vitreous fibers (SVFs) on a mesothelial (MeT5A) and a fibroblast cell line (NIH3T3), compared to those exerted by crocidolite asbestos fibers. SVFs (glass wool, rock wools) do not induce significant changes in cell mortality, whereas crocidolite asbestos fibers caused a dose-dependent cytotoxicity. We investigated the correlation between the f...

A method is described for isolating asbestos fibers contained in biological tissues. It consists in incinerating the biological material in activated oxygen at 150 degrees C, and attacking the ash by 1N HC1 for 18 hr. The residue is then filtered on a membrane covered with a carbon film. Electron microscope examination of the deposit makes it possible to determine fiber concentrations when the ...

OBJECTIVES The aim of the study was to analyze the correlation between pulmonary concentrations of asbestos bodies and asbestos fibers and to characterize asbestos body counts from lung tissue of Finnish patients occupationally exposed and unexposed to asbestos. METHODS Ninety-nine surgically treated lung cancer patients were investigated. The number of asbestos bodies in iron-stained 5-micro...

Fiber length and diameter are important factors in the pathogenicity of asbestos. We examined the relative toxicity of long and short crocidolite asbestos fibers in vitro and in vivo. Both long and short crocidolite asbestos fibers were toxic to elicited macrophages in vitro. Similar to native crocidolite asbestos, long and short fibers stimulated the release of reactive oxygen metabolites from...

The reaction of macrophages to asbestos and glass fibers was studied by light and by electron microscopy. Measurements were made of LDH release, staining with erythrosine B, and lactate production. Size and shape of asbestos fibers were found to have more effect than the physicochemical properties of the surface. Long fibers resulted in a protracted pathogenic but no acute cytotoxic effect.