Pleural mesothelioma in New Caledonia: An acute environmental concern

Baumann, Francine; Rougier, Y.; Ambrosi, Jean-Paul; Robineau, Bernard

doi:10.1016/j.cdp.2006.10.009

Cited by 23 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…This strategy was successfully applied in New Caledonia to identify environmental exposure to antigorite as the cause of a MM epidemic 15, 33 . Compared with the entire US, southern Nevada showed a significantly higher proportion of MM in women.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In arid and semi-arid climates, natural wind erosion can be a significant process for dust emissions, which can increase fiber exposures 31 . Such exposures can occur since birth, resulting in MM in young individuals, in both genders 32–33 . NOA presents a significant health risk primarily where the close proximity of NOA occurrences to large populations provides a pathway for human exposure.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Presence of Asbestos in the Natural Environment is Likely Related to Mesothelioma in Young Individuals and Women from Southern Nevada

Baumann

Buck

Metcalf

et al. 2015

Journal of Thoracic Oncology

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109

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Background Inhalation of asbestos and other mineral fibers are known causes of malignant mesothelioma (MM) and lung cancers. In a setting of occupational exposure to asbestos, MM occurs 4–8 times more frequently in men than in women, at the median age of 74 years, while an environmental exposure to asbestos causes the same number of MMs in men and women, at younger ages. Methods We studied the geology of Nevada to identify mineral fibers in the environment. We compared MM mortality in different Nevada Counties, per sex and age group, for the 1999–2010 period. Results We identified the presence of carcinogenic minerals in Nevada, including actinolite asbestos, erionite, winchite, magnesioriebeckite and richterite. We discovered that, compared with the US and other Nevada counties, Clark and Nye counties, in southern Nevada, had a significantly higher proportion of MM that occurred in young individuals (<55 years) and in women. Conclusions The elevated percentage of women and individuals younger than 55 years old, combined with a sex ratio of 1:1 in this age group and the presence of naturally occurring asbestos, suggests that environmental exposure to mineral fibers in southern Nevada may be contributing to some of these mesotheliomas. Further research to assess environmental exposures should allow the development of strategies to minimize exposure, as the development of rural areas continues in Nevada, and to prevent MM and other asbestos-related diseases.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Presence of Asbestos in the Natural Environment is Likely Related to Mesothelioma in Young Individuals and Women from Southern Nevada

Baumann

Buck

Metcalf

et al. 2015

Journal of Thoracic Oncology

Self Cite

109

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Their use as whitewash is associated with elevated occurrences of asbestos-related diseases (Constantopoulos, 2008;Metintas et al, 1999Metintas et al, , 1999bMetintas et al, , 2002Zeren et al, 2000;Langer et al, 1987;Sakellariou et al, 1996;Senyigit et al, 2000). In New Caledonia, both tremolite-asbestos and chrysotile were found in the soils and in local serpentinite quarries (Luce et al, 2000;Baumann et al, 2007Baumann et al, , 2011. In Afghanistan, no asbestos-related diseases were reported, but tremolite EMP detected in soil dust and pleural plaques may be associated with exposure to it (Voisin et al, 1994).…”

Section: Erosion Of Naturally Occurring Asbestos (Noa) Amphibole Anmentioning

confidence: 99%

Methodologies for Determining the Sources, Characteristics, Distribution, and Abundance of Asbestiform and Nonasbestiform Amphibole and Serpentine in Ambient Air and Water

Wylie

Candela

2015

Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part B

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Anthropogenic and nonanthropogenic (erosion) processes contribute to the continuing presence of asbestos and nonasbestos elongated mineral particles (EMP) of amphibole and serpentine in air and water of urban, rural, and remote environments. The anthropogenic processes include disturbance and deterioration of asbestos-containing materials, mining of amphibole- and serpentine-bearing rock, and disturbance of soils containing amphibole and serpentine. Atmospheric dispersal processes can transport EMP on a global scale. There are many methods of establishing the abundance of EMP in air and water. EMP include cleavage fragments, fibers, asbestos, and other asbestiform minerals, and the methods employed do not critically distinguish among them. The results of most of the protocols are expressed in the common unit of fibers per square centimeter; however, seven different definitions for the term "fiber" are employed and the results are not comparable. The phase-contrast optical method used for occupational monitoring cannot identify particles being measured, and none of the methods distinguish amphibole asbestos from other EMP of amphibole. Measured ambient concentrations of airborne EMP are low, and variance may be high, even for similar environments, yielding data of questionable value for risk assessment. Calculations based on the abundance of amphibole-bearing rock and estimates of asbestos in the conterminous United States suggest that amphibole may be found in 6-10% of the land area; nonanthropogenic erosional processes might produce on the order of 400,000 tons or more of amphibole per year, and approximately 50 g asbestos/km(2)/yr; and the order of magnitude of the likelihood of encountering rock bearing any type of asbestos is approximately 0.0001.

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“…We praise Baumann for producing a body of literature on mesothelioma and exposure to natural-occurring asbestos (NOA) 2–4 . The recent discovery of NOA in Southern Nevada has raised our interest in the surveillance of mesothelioma in the region.…”

Section: Dear Sirmentioning

confidence: 99%

No Increased Risk for Mesothelioma in Relation to Natural-Occurring Asbestos in Southern Nevada

Pinheiro

Jin

2015

Journal of Thoracic Oncology

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Pleural mesothelioma in New Caledonia: An acute environmental concern

Cited by 23 publications

References 24 publications

The Presence of Asbestos in the Natural Environment is Likely Related to Mesothelioma in Young Individuals and Women from Southern Nevada

The Presence of Asbestos in the Natural Environment is Likely Related to Mesothelioma in Young Individuals and Women from Southern Nevada

Methodologies for Determining the Sources, Characteristics, Distribution, and Abundance of Asbestiform and Nonasbestiform Amphibole and Serpentine in Ambient Air and Water

No Increased Risk for Mesothelioma in Relation to Natural-Occurring Asbestos in Southern Nevada

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