Asbestos Exposure and Malignant Mesothelioma in Construction Workers—Epidemiological Remarks by the Italian National Mesothelioma Registry (ReNaM)

Binazzi, Alessandra; Marzio, Davide Di; Verardo, Marina; Migliore, Enrica; Benfatto, Lucia; Malacarne, Davide; Mensi, Carolina; Consonni, Dario; Eccher, Silvia; Mazzoleni, Guido; Comiati, Vera; Negro, Corrado; Romanelli, Antonio; Chellini, Elisabetta; Angelini, Alessia; Grappasonni, Iolanda; Madeo, Gabriella; Romeo, Elisa; Giammarco, Annamaria Di; Carrozza, Francesco; Angelillo, Italo Francesco; Cavone, Domenica; Vimercati, Luigi; Labianca, Michele; Tallarigo, Federico; Tumino, Rosario; Melis, Maria Teresa; Bonafede, Michela; Scarselli, Alberto; Marinaccio, Alessandro; Group, ReNaM Working

doi:10.3390/ijerph19010235

Cited by 13 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…Our results are in line with a previous study focusing on asbestos removal workers in Great Britain, which found a high number of deaths for all cancer including, among others, mesothelioma (Frost et al ., 2008). A recent analysis of the Italian National Mesothelioma Registry reported 3574 incident cases of mesothelioma in construction workers in the 1993–2018 period with an increasing trend over time and a mean latency of 20.9 years and based on economic activity coding about 1.1% of recorded exposure periods were attributable to asbestos removal and disposal firms (Binazzi et al ., 2022). It is plausible that at the next follow-up, the number of workers found in the link between SIREP exposure data and ISTAT mortality archives will increase, also in consideration of the long latency of asbestos-related diseases and especially for malignant mesothelioma.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Occupational exposure register-based cohort study on mortality among asbestos-related workers in Italy after the ban

Scarselli

Corfiati²,

Marinaccio

2023

European Journal of Cancer Prevention

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Asbestos is a human carcinogen and can cause some types of cancer, including mesothelioma. A relevant number of workers are still engaged in asbestos removal and disposal activities, whose actual risk of asbestos-related diseases is still scarcely recognized. The main objective of this study is to assess the causespecific mortality among workers involved in asbestos removal and disposal after the ban in Italy.Methods Data from the Information System on Occupational Exposure to carcinogens (SIREP) in the period 1996-2018 were selected. Proportionate mortality ratios (PMRs) by cause of death were calculated by linking exposure occupational information to national mortality statistics (2005)(2006)(2007)(2008)(2009)(2010)(2011)(2012)(2013)(2014)(2015)(2016)(2017)(2018), assuming a Poisson distribution of the data.Results A total of 142 deaths (all men) were identified among 13 715 asbestos removal and disposal workers. A significant excess (P < 0.05) of mesothelioma deaths was found among male workers, about five-fold the expected. A significant increase in the mortality ratio was also found for malignant melanoma of skin.Conclusions A risk of mesothelioma has been found among workers involved in asbestos removal and disposal. Epidemiological surveillance and promotion of prevention action plans are highly recommended for workers engaged in asbestos removal and disposal activities, to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and reduce the still relevant risk of contracting the related tumor pathology.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Occupational exposure register-based cohort study on mortality among asbestos-related workers in Italy after the ban

Scarselli

Corfiati²,

Marinaccio

2023

European Journal of Cancer Prevention

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“…Malignant mesothelioma is a rare malignancy with an estimated global incidence of 0.30 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in 2020 [ 6 ]. And among a variety of plausible causes, asbestos exposure is widely considered the main risk factor as it is reported that up to 90% of MPM in men in Europe and North America are attributable to asbestos exposure [ 1 - 6 ]. The latency interval from the initial causal exposure to the development of the disease varies from 20 to 40 years [ 7 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It has also been described that a bad prognosis is also associated with weak performance status, being male, high white blood cell count, chest wall pain, and the sarcomatoid histological type [ 8 ]. Many countries have tried long ago to either ban or control the use of asbestos as awareness increased about its risk in developing malignancies [ 2 , 6 , 11 ]. However, malignant mesothelioma is considered a world health issue, not only due to its poor prognosis but also due to its increasing incidence despite the wide regulatory actions taken to decrease its use [ 7 , 10 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unexplained Pleural Effusion Leads to the Revelation of a Malignant Mesothelioma: A Case Report

Rhazari¹,

Moueqqit²,

Gartini³

et al. 2022

Cureus

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Malignant mesothelioma is a rare and aggressive cancer that usually affects subjects with prior asbestos exposure, a major risk factor that has been widely known as carcinogenic, and its use is now controlled if not banned in many areas of the world. Malignant mesothelioma originates from mesothelial surface cells covering the serous cavities, and the pleura is its most common site. Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) typically presents with pleural effusion and chest wall pain with wide pleural thickening at radiological investigation. Although the histological examination along with immunohistochemistry helps yield the diagnosis, clinicians and experts face many challenges in diagnosing malignant mesothelioma not only due to the rarity of the disease but also due to the similarities that the disease share with other malignancies. Here, we report a case of a 55-year-old male patient with a history of chronic asbestos work exposure for 12 years who initially presented with unexplained pleural effusion and chest wall pain and was lost to follow-up but came back later with a worsening clinical state. This case is specially presented to raise awareness against cases of unexplained pleural effusion and chest pain.

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“…In Italy (decree 308/2002) a national MM registry (Registro Nazionale Mesoteliomi, National Mesothelioma Registry, ReNaM) has been formally established (although some regions had already started registration in the 1990s). ReNaM recorded more than 30 000 MM cases in the period 1993–2018 10. Construction is among the industries with the largest asbestos use in the past and is paying the largest toll: of 17 191 cases with occupational exposure, 3574 MM cases (20.8%), almost all men, had been exposed in the construction industry 10…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pleural mesothelioma risk in the construction industry: a case–control study in Italy, 2000–2018

et al. 2023

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ObjectivesWorkers in the construction industry have been exposed to asbestos in various occupations. In Italy, a National Mesothelioma Registry has been implemented more than 20 years ago. Using cases selected from this registry and exploiting existing control data sets, we estimated relative risks for pleural mesothelioma (PM) among construction workers.DesignCase–control study.SettingCases from the National Mesothelioma Registry (2000–2018), controls from three previous case–control studies.MethodsWe selected male PM incident cases diagnosed in 2000–2018. Population controls were taken from three studies performed in six Italian regions within two periods (2002–2004 and 2012–2016). Age-adjusted and period-adjusted unconditional logistic regression models were fitted to estimate odds ratios (OR) for occupations in the construction industry. We followed two approaches, one (primary) excluding and the other (secondary) including subjects employed in other non-construction blue collar occupations for >5 years. For both approaches, we performed an overall analysis including all cases and, given the incomplete temporal and geographic overlap of cases and controls, three time or/and space restricted sensitivity analyses.ResultsThe whole data set included 15 592 cases and 2210 controls. With the primary approach (4797 cases and 1085 controls), OR was 3.64 (2181 cases) for subjects ever employed in construction. We found elevated risks for blue-collar occupations (1993 cases, OR 4.52), including bricklayers (988 cases, OR 7.05), general construction workers (320 cases, OR 4.66), plumbers and pipe fitters (305 cases, OR 9.13), painters (104 cases, OR 2.17) and several others. Sensitivity analyses yielded very similar findings. Using the secondary approach, we observed similar patterns, but ORs were remarkably lower.ConclusionsWe found markedly increased PM risks for most occupations in the construction industry. These findings are relevant for compensation of subjects affected with mesothelioma in the construction industry.

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Asbestos Exposure and Malignant Mesothelioma in Construction Workers—Epidemiological Remarks by the Italian National Mesothelioma Registry (ReNaM)

Cited by 13 publications

References 33 publications

Occupational exposure register-based cohort study on mortality among asbestos-related workers in Italy after the ban

Occupational exposure register-based cohort study on mortality among asbestos-related workers in Italy after the ban

Unexplained Pleural Effusion Leads to the Revelation of a Malignant Mesothelioma: A Case Report

Pleural mesothelioma risk in the construction industry: a case–control study in Italy, 2000–2018

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