Mesothelioma Causation: Medical Abstracts

The Scientific Basis For a Total Asbestos Ban (4/2006)

Numerous countries have already enacted total bans on asbestos, while others continue to use it as if the documented dangers over the last century never existed. This disparity, with developed countries tending to ban asbestos and poorer countries serving as dumping grounds for asbestos makers, led the University of Turin's Center for the Study of Asbestos to conduct a review of the scientific basis for a total asbestos ban. More...

All Types of Asbestos Related to High Incidence of Mesothelioma in Australia (3/2002)

Rebutting the misrepresentation that chrysotile asbestos does not cause mesothelioma, a 2002 article published by the Center for Occupational and Environmental Health, Department of Public Health and Community Medicine in Sydney, Australia reviewed mesothelioma in that country between 1945-2000 More...

Familial Pleural Malignant Mesothelioma: Clustering in Three Sisters and One Cousin

Malignant mesothelioma is associated with asbestos, yet its occurrence in genetically-related individuals suggests a role of host predisposition. We have identified a cluster of pleural malignant mesothelioma in three sisters and one cousin (male). The women had worked in the same confectionery shop as pastry cooks and/or pastry shop assistants; the use of an asbestos-insulated oven was the putative source of exposure. The man had occupational exposure as a heating system installation worker. The family history reported malignant cancers in first-degree (larynx, brother; pleura and lung, mother), second-degree (lung, aunt and uncle) and third-degree (lung, cousin) relatives. The study reveals the potential existence of the mesothelioma risk among pastry cooks and highlights the fact that inherited factors may be involved in the development of this tumour.

Address: Anatomia Patologica, Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale e Patologia, Ospedale Policlinico Umberto I, Universit`a La Sapienza, Rome, Italy.
Source : Cancer Lett, 130(1-2):203-7 1998 Aug 14
Author: Ascoli V; Scalzo CC; Bruno C; Facciolo F; Lopergolo M; Granone P; Nardi F