Asbestos Standards: Impact of Currently Uncounted Chrysotile Asbestos Fibers on Lifetime Lung Cancer Risk

Details

• Personal Author:
  Cole SR ; Dement, John M. ; Keil AP ; Richardson DB
• Description:
  Background: Current regulations require that asbestos fibers are collected and examined using a light microscope. This method fails to enumerate fibers that are too short or thin to reliably count using a light microscope under normal conditions. Methods: A cohort of 3054 workers employed at an asbestos textile plant was followed to ascertain causes of death. Exposure was almost entirely chrysotile. Fiber counts were quantified using light microscopy and electron microscopy. The g-formula was used to estimate impacts on lung cancer of policies defined in terms of fiber counts quantified using light and electron microscopy. Results: Given exposure at the current standard, the estimated lung cancer risk was 7.33%, comparable to the risk expected under a standard of 1 fiber/mL counted using electron microscopy (7.30%). The lifetime risk of lung cancer under a standard of 0.1 fiber/mL counted by electron microscopy was estimated to be 7.10%. Conclusions: We identify policies defined in terms of electron microscopy-based asbestos exposure metrics that yield comparable, or lower, lung cancer mortality than that expected under the current standard. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Asbestos Environmental Exposure Inorganic Chemicals Lung Lung Diseases Men Morbidity Mortality Neoplasms Occupational Health Particulate Matter Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Textile Industry Women Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Asbestos Fibers Author Keywords: Asbestos Cohort Studies Electron Microscopy Exposure Levels Fibers Humans Lung Cancer Morbidity Rates Mortality Rates Mortality Study Occupational Diseases Risk Factors Statistical Analysis Textiles Work Environment Workers

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• ISSN:
  0271-3586
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  North Carolina ; OSHA Region 4
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  383-390
• Volume:
  61
• Issue:
  5
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20051225
• Citation:
  Am J Ind Med 2018 May; 61(5):383-390
• Contact Point Address:
  David Richardson, PhD, Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
• Email:
  david.richardson@unc.edu
• CAS Registry Number:
  Asbestos (CAS RN 1332-21-4) ; Chrysotile (CAS RN 12001-29-5)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2018
• Performing Organization:
  University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20140901
• Source Full Name:
  American Journal of Industrial Medicine
• End Date:
  20160831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:fb1563a2d1b4d39dc3dbb8ffcccabf7c8d196fa7d28a7187cd9a00d9b4bda3f5becd38278f14de13a96102ac365af3877f7ed421f702f9cec5d130993649539e
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/211301/cdc_211301_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 388.93 KB ]