Dose-Response Relationship between Amphibole Fiber Lung Burden and Mesothelioma

Abstract

In a mesothelioma case-control study, asbestos and other mineral fibers from lung burden were examined as causal factors. Diagnosis was confirmed by a panel of pathologists. For 66 cases and 66 controls from hospitals in five German towns, lung tissue fiber analysis by transmission electron microscopy was available. Control patients were treated by a surgical lung resection mostly because of lung cancer. For chrysotile and other mineral fibers a significantly increased odds ratio (OR) was not observed. A clear dose-response relationship was demonstrated for the concentration CA of amphibole fibers longer than 5 microm. Between 0.025 and 2.5 fibers/microg dry weight (f/microg) the relationship can be approximated as OR = CA/(0. 025 f/microg). Similar but less distinct dose-response relationships were found in a Canadian and an Australian study. It is concluded that among German mesothelioma patients factors not associated with amphibole fiber concentration are not predominating.

Pulmonary Asbestos and Non-Asbestos Fiber Concentrations in Autopsied Inhabitants in Pohang, Korea.

“…Although this study had limited numbers, the other studies 1,4,7) also indicated that males have higher asbestos concentrations than females because males have greater exposure to the outdoors air, or asbestos-related occupations, than females. This study, however, can not be used to validate this matter due to the lack of the investigation on the past residential histories of the subjects.…”

“…Although there were no relationships between age and the fiber concentrations in some case-control studies 4,7) , the results were reversed in a study of 81 autopsies in Canada 1) . Therefore, a further study with greater sample numbers will be needed.…”

“…These results were mainly based on experimentations on animals exposed to the asbestos in the air. To identify dose-response relationships, with health disorders caused by asbestos in human lungs, a series of studies analyzing the asbestos fibers in the lung tissues of mesotheliomas and control groups have been carried out in Germany, Canada and Australia [1][2][3][4] . The subjects and methods employed in each study were different, but all the studies led to the conclusion that amphiboles with lengths over 5 µm have a dose-response relationship with mesotheliomas.…”

“…Many studies have reported the concentrations of asbestos and non-asbestos fibers in lungs [1][2][3][4][5] , but in Korea, there has only been one study with subjects from Seoul 6) . Sakai and his colleagues 7) conducted comparative studies, with both Korean and Japanese subjects in terms of their gender and location, and found that the Japanese had higher concentrations of asbestos in their lungs than the Koreans.…”

The So-called Short-Fiber Controversy: Literature Review and Critical Analysis

“…Rödelsperger and colleagues 35 similarly reported that the concentration of amphibole 36 1991 Case-control study of mesothelioma patients Strongest correlation with crocidolite fibers 10 lm in length fibers exceeding 5 lm in length was associated with an increased odds ratio of mesothelioma and a clear doseresponse relationship. In addition, Rogers et al 36 found that the strongest correlation of relative risk of mesothelioma was with the concentration of crocidolite fibers that were at least 10 lm in length.…”