Round Atelectasis and Metsovo Lung

Asbestos fiber length as related to potential pathogenicity: A critical review

“…Furthermore, tremolite exposures can also occur from environmental sources, for example, in areas where tremolitic rocks exist as outcrops or asbestos contaminated soil is used for construction of dwellings. Over time these materials yield respirable dusts through the weathering or aging process [Papiris et al, 1993;Metintas et al, 2002;Senyegit et al, 2002].…”

Epidemiology and Etiology of Mesothelioma

“…Tremolite fibers were indeed identified in the lung parenchyma of the exposed individuals in transbronchial lung biopsy specimens [32]. The exposure of inhabitants of Metsovo to tremolite has resulted in endemic pleural calcifications in at least half of the population [29,30,33,34], a high incidence of malignant pleural mesothelioma [29,30], sporadic cases of round atelectasis eventually related to the development of a previous benign asbestos pleural effusion [35], and lymphocytic alveolitis especially among inhabitants with pleural calcifications [36], but no diffuse fibrosing interstitial lung pneumonia (asbestosis). The combination of the above findings (and especially the mesothelioma and pleural calcifications) has been named ªMetsovo lungº and has been established as an example of non-occupational exposure to tremolite.…”

Rounded atelectasis of the lung

“…One pioneer report traced an unexpectedly high number of RA patients without occupational asbestos exposure to Metsovo, Greece, an area with documented environmental exposure to tremolite (''Metsovo lung''). 15 Inhalation of mineral dusts other than asbestos, such as silica (silicosis-associated RA), and mixed mineral dusts (mixed dust pneumoconiosis-associated RA), have also been reported to cause RA. 16,17 However, it has been recently shown that pleural effusions can lead to RA development in the absence of asbestos or other mineral dust exposure.…”