Unusually high incidence of malignant pleural mesothelioma in a town of eastern Sicily: an epidemiological and environmental study.

In a recent epidemiological study, researchers investigated mortality from malignant pleural neoplasms in Italy, and they detected some geographic clusters of cases of this disease. We found a town located in a volcanic area of eastern Sicily to be of special interest. The residents, some of whom were diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma, had never had any relevant exposure to asbestos during their professional lives.

[Asbestos fiber count in extra-pulmonary tissues].

Most autoptic tissues of three men (two with pulmonary asbestosis and one without any exposure to asbestos) were analyzed by transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersion spectrometry for the quantitative and qualitative evaluation of asbestos fibers. Preliminary results indicate that only in cases with occupational exposure were found asbestos fibers (in lung, pleura , bladder, kidney and liver). These results allow interesting speculations on some environmental pathogenetic questions and deserve further investigations.

[Concentration of asbestos fibers in urothelial tumors and in the neoplasm-free bladder wall].

The aim of our study was to search the eventual presence of asbestos fibers in the neoplastic tissue of 13 cases of bladder carcinoma and in the normal vesical tissue of 12 control cases without neoplasia and operated upon for other urologic pathologies. To all patients a standardised questionnaire has been administered in order to ascertain the entity of the eventual exposition to asbestos. The organic component of the tissues has been oxidated at low temperature in atomic oxygen plasma and the residual inorganic component has been analysed by transmission electronic microscopy and energy dispersion spectrometry.

Characterization of asbestos fibers in pleural tissue from 21 cases of mesothelioma.

Pleural biopsies from 21 patients with pleural mesothelioma and different asbestos exposure were analyzed by means of analytical electron microscopy with the aim of investigating the presence, quantity, types and sizes of asbestos fibers in pleural tissue. The majority of fibers found consisted of ultrathin (< 0.3 micron) and short (< 5 microns) fibers regardless of asbestos types and subject exposure.

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

We have undertaken a study on 200 autopsy lung samples collected from subjects who lived in the Rome urban area and were not occupationally exposed to mineral dusts. The samples belonged to subjects who died aged between 15 and 65, both male and female. Subjects suffering from diseases and drug addicts were excluded.