Mineral fibers and dusts in the lungs of subjects living in an urban environment.

Details

• Personal Author:
  Albedi FM ; Carrieri MP ; Cassano AM ; Donelli G ; Falchi M ; Paoletti L
• Description:
  A study of the mineral dust content of the lungs of persons who lived in an urban environment was conducted using tissue taken at autopsy from the right upper lung lobe of 60 persons who had lived in Rome, Italy. The ages at death ranged from 15 to 65 years. Information on smoking history of the subjects was obtained. The lung tissue specimens were analyzed for mineral fibers and dusts by transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray analysis. Total mineral particle concentrations in the subjects ranged from 0.7x10(5) to 1.7x10(5) particles per milligram. These consisted of 52% silicates and crystalline silica (14808607) and 48% heavy metal oxides and sulfates. Fibrous particles were noted in 16% of the subjects and consisted primarily of chrysotile (12001295) and amphibole asbestos (1332214) forms. Small amounts of talc (14807966), rutile (13463677), and calcium-sulfate (7778189) fibers were also noted. The asbestos fiber concentrations ranged from 200 to 300 fibers per milligram and accounted for 0.5 to 1% of the the total particulate burden. Chrysotile was the major type of asbestos, accounting for more than 67% of the fibers. Of the 16 metallic elements observed, aluminum (7429905), calcium (7440702), titanium (7440326), chromium (7440473), and iron (7439896) were the most frequently detected elements; being found in more than 67% of the subjects. The total particulate concentrations tended to increase with increasing age. The severity of anthracosis noted in some specimens tended to increase with age. Total particulate concentrations were higher in tissues from smokers than from nonsmokers. The authors conclude that persons living in urban areas contain significant accumulations of mineral particles in their lungs. These are attributed to exhausts from motor vehicles.
• Subjects:
  Accident Prevention Accidents Accidents, Occupational Electric Injuries Electricity Manufacturing And Industrial Facilities Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Air Contamination Asbestos Fibers Cigarette Smoking Environmental Exposure Humans Lung Tissue Mineral Dusts Postmortem Examination Trace Analysis Trace Metals
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Conference/Symposia Proceedings
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 3 ; Pennsylvania
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1306-1309
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00198792
• Citation:
  Proceedings of the VIIth International Pneumoconioses Conference, August 23-26, 1988, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 90-108, 1990 Nov; (Pt II):1306-1309
• CAS Registry Number:
  Quartz (SiO2) (CAS RN 14808-60-7) ; Chrysotile (CAS RN 12001-29-5) ; Asbestos (CAS RN 1332-21-4) ; Talc (Mg3H2(SiO3)4) (CAS RN 14807-96-6) ; Titania (CAS RN 13463-67-7) ; Calcium sulfate (CAS RN 7778-18-9) ; Aluminum (CAS RN 7429-90-5) ; Calcium (CAS RN 7440-70-2) ; Titanium (CAS RN 7440-32-6) ; Chromium (CAS RN 7440-47-3) ; Iron (CAS RN 7439-89-6)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1991
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Part Number:
  II
• Source Full Name:
  Proceedings of the VIIth International Pneumoconioses Conference, August 23-26, 1988, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:91a172578e69a0e721ed2f158672985c73be6f43d09f97d3271863a6b0dd4ce9a38fee0127e197101213e2199af6abd1a0ac2eda5bc6b20b74126ad29f22972c
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/180667/cdc_180667_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 116.57 KB ]