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An attempt was made to examine the relationship between asbestos (1332214) body counts and concentration of asbestos fibers, and to characterize the asbestos body counts from the lungs of occupationally exposed and unexposed Finnish patients. The subjects included 99 lung cancer patients (86 males, 14 females) who had undergone surgical lobectomy or pulmectomy. Personal interviews were conducted to determine their work history and possible asbestos exposure from work, domestic, or environmental settings. Exposure categories included definite to unlikely exposure classifications. Histological lung tissue sections were used for asbestos body counting by optical microscopy, and tissue pieces from the peripheral lung were subjected to electron microscopic fiber analysis. Difference in asbestos body distribution and asbestos fiber concentrations between the exposure groups were determined by statistical analysis. The average number of asbestos bodies ranged from less than 0.1 to 750 asbestos bodies/tissue section, with the highest number noted for the group with definite occupational asbestos exposure. Fiber concentrations ranged from below 0.1 to 150x10(6) fibers/gram. A highly significant correlation was seen between asbestos body concentrations and asbestos fibers. Greater levels of asbestos bodies were sometimes noted in patients with little to no asbestos exposure. The background level of asbestos bodies in lung tissue was suggested to be higher in Finland than in other countries, and the combination of all available data for the best possible estimate of exposure intensity was emphasized.
Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health, 22(1):34-38, 1996. (12 references)
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