Occupational and “Non-occupational” Asbestosis in Finland

Noro, L

doi:10.1080/00028896809342989

Cited by 24 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…(Huuskonen to Ilgren Sept 27, "Paakkilan asbestikylä | Elävä arkisto | yle.fi"). The modern industrial exposure of workers at Paakilla began at the end of the first World War (in 1918) when the quarries were taken over by Suomen Mineraali Oy (Noro, 1968a;Aurola & Nieminen, 1954 Meurman et al (1994) conducted the second cancer mortality cohort study of the anthothophyllite miners and millers (N=1,003: 736 men, 167 women) who worked for at least three months from 1953 to 1967. Follow up ended in 1991.…”

Section: Industrial Hygienementioning

confidence: 99%

Anthophyllite Asbestos: The Role of Fiber Width in Mesothelioma Induction Part 1: Epidemiological Studies of Finnish Anthophyllite Asbestos

Ilgren¹,

Hoskins²

2017

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Anthophyllite asbestos only occurs in a few parts of the world in sufficient quantities to be mined. The largest deposits of anthophyllite asbestos occur in Finland where it was mined for more than 75 years and very extensively used and distributed, anciently, for more than six millennia. Anthophyllite is one of the five minerals known collectively as amphibole asbestos. Studies of the effect of these five mineral fibre types when inhaled have shown that fibre width is an important determinant of mesothelioma induction. Only the "thinner" fibres or those with fiber diameter dimensional profiles predominantly less than 0.25 -0.30 µm, are clearly mesotheliogenic. The "thicker" ones or those whose predominant widths are greater than these diameters do not appear to show an observable attendant risk of mesothelioma. Observations based on studies of at least, two "thick" forms of amphibole asbestos support these hypotheses. The one is Bolivian crocidolite; the other Finnish anthophyllite. The Finnish anthophyllite industry presents an important opportunity to study the robustness of the theory that fibre width is key to mesothelioma genesis as vast numbers of people in all sectors of the Finnish industry and their families have historically incurred massive fiber exposures sufficient to cause a gross excess of asbestosis. Nonetheless, in spite of these long term, high dose exposures clear evidence for a mesothelioma risk due to anthophyllite asbestos is still lacking.

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Section: Industrial Hygienementioning

confidence: 99%

Anthophyllite Asbestos: The Role of Fiber Width in Mesothelioma Induction Part 1: Epidemiological Studies of Finnish Anthophyllite Asbestos

Ilgren¹,

Hoskins²

2017

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“…1; Finally, it should be noted that the first formal study of the Paakilla miners and millers (Nurimen, 1972) was funded by QAMA 9 and portions of an earlier Finnish study (Kiviluoto 1960) were funded by the company Suomen Mineralli. Noro (1968) said "The Finnish Cancer Register shows that the incidence of cancer of the lung and pleural and peritoneal tumors is not higher in the "calcification area" 10 than in the other rural districts of east Finland during the years 1953-62, as Dr. Raunio has stated. Kiviluoto came to the same conclusion.…”

Section: Tremolite Asbestos Exposure In the Eppmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…None has ever been shown to demonstrate an attendant mesothelioma response. Indeed, fifty years ago, Noro (1968) wrote "Knowing that the area has had 4,500 years of endemic exposure, in the last 50 years has been rather heavy in occupational exposures and has been increased among the neighborhood population by industrial air pollution and knowing that every third man over the age of 65 has pleural plaques, one could already expect more mesotheliomas in this district!" This was further supported by Nurminen (1975) who said that the "absence of residential clustering among the cases in Finland is a feature against environmental influence".…”

Section: Domestic Exposure At Paakillamentioning

confidence: 99%

Anthophyllite Asbestos: The Role of Fiber Width in Mesothelioma Induction Part 2: Further Epidemiological Studies of Occupational, Domestic and Environmental Exposure to Finnish Anthophyllite Asbestos

Ilgren¹,

Hoskins²

2018

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Although people in all sectors of the Finnish anthophyllite industry, including their families, have been heavily exposed to anthophyllite there is no evidence for even a single proven case of attributable mesothelioma. A few cases have been claimed but the evidence either, that they were mesotheliomas or that amphibole exposure was solely to anthophyllite is, in every case examined, insufficient. Even among the population who lived in Karelia in Central Finland who were exposed domestically or enviromentally to anthophyllite released during agricultural and various domestic activities and during transport from the mines, Finnish epidemiology found no risk of mesothelioma. There is also an absence of mesotheliomas reported in the earlier Finnish literature. This anomaly compared to the effects of exposure to other amphiboles is strong support for the role of fiber width in mesothelioma production. Anthophyllite, though, is not without clinical effect. As screening techniques improved it was discovered that of every person over the age of 65 years, one third living in Karelia had bilateral pleural plaques. The area was henceforth called the Endemic Pleural Plaque (EPP) zone. Radiographic analysis of the residents living in the district of Kuusjarvi led to suggestions that the cases resulted from asbestos blown from the Paakila facility via fiber drift as far away as 30 km. Later studies showed that 'fiber drift' was very unlikely to be a factor in the radiological findings thus observed.

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“…Malignancies arise primarily after longterm occupational exposure extending over 20 or more years. 9 " 11 During 1930, an extensive survey of asbestos workers in England was published by Merewether and Price; 12 they found that 80% of workers who had been employed for 20 years or more exhibited signs and symptoms of asbestosis. For Germany, Bohme 13 reported similar results in 1959; he observed a peak rate of 79 % in employees who had been exposed throughout more than 10 years.…”

Section: Asbestos As An Inhalation Health Hazardmentioning

confidence: 99%

Asbestos: world concern, involvement and culpability

Hammons

Huff

1974

International Journal of Environmental Studies

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The general population is exposed to asbestos fibers stemming from a massive number of consumer products and from environmental pollution. Asbestos bodies are present in the lungs of many urban dwellers who do not work with the mineral. Heavy occupational exposure to asbestos is known to cause asbestosis, pleural calcification, pleural plaques, lung cancer, and pleural and peritoneal mesotheliomas. The ingestion of asbestos fibers may increase the risk of gastrointestinal tract cancer. At the present time, little is known about the hazards of chronic low-level exposure to asbestos. However, the use of asbestos fibers should be curtailed whenever possible, more pathogenicity data should be collected and evaluated, and the health risk to the general public should be reassessed and updated with progressing research.Ah, but I was so much older then I'm younger than that now.

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Occupational and “Non-occupational” Asbestosis in Finland

Cited by 24 publications

References 5 publications

Anthophyllite Asbestos: The Role of Fiber Width in Mesothelioma Induction Part 1: Epidemiological Studies of Finnish Anthophyllite Asbestos

Anthophyllite Asbestos: The Role of Fiber Width in Mesothelioma Induction Part 1: Epidemiological Studies of Finnish Anthophyllite Asbestos

Anthophyllite Asbestos: The Role of Fiber Width in Mesothelioma Induction Part 2: Further Epidemiological Studies of Occupational, Domestic and Environmental Exposure to Finnish Anthophyllite Asbestos

Asbestos: world concern, involvement and culpability

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