1985/09/01 by Gunnar Mowé, Bjørn Gylseth, Flora Hartveit +2 · 2 citations
Medicine · #Occupational and environmental lung diseases #Occupational exposure and asthma
paper · doi:10.1002/1097-0142(19850901)56:5<1089::aid-cncr2820560522>3.0.co;2-y
The risk of malignant mesothelioma associated with low-level asbestos exposure is an important unresolved issue today. We have analyzed the asbestos fiber concentration in lung tissue from 14 cases of malignant mesothelioma and 28 case-matched controls by scanning electron microscopy. The cases represent 86% of all mesotheliomas recorded by the Cancer Registry of Norway from the county of Hordaland between 1970 and 1979. Based on 1 million fibers per g of dried tissue as an indicator of cumulated asbestos exposure, the odds ratio (relative risk) was 8.5 (95% confidence limits, 2.3-31.1). Assuming that the risk of malignant mesothelioma is related to mineral fiber concentration in lung tissue, it is concluded that a fiber concentration exceeding 1 million fibers per g of dried tissue is associated with an increased risk of malignant mesothelioma. Furthermore, the results are consistent with a no-threshold response.