Human Exposure to Asbestos in Central Asian Countries and Health Effects: A Narrative Review.

The discovery of the detrimental effects of asbestos on human health came long after its widespread use, with the first scientific evidence of asbestos-related diseases emerging in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Despite efforts to ban its use, asbestos continues to be mined and used in Central Asia (as well as in Russia, China, and other countries). To gain a deeper understanding of the situation in Central Asia, we have conducted a systematic review of scientific literature on the use of asbestos, exposure assessment, and health consequences of asbestos exposure in this geographic area.

[Mortality due to mesothelioma and asbestosis in Campania Region (Southern Italy): perspectives for reducing asbestos exposure].

Objectives: to provide an overview of the geographical distribution of mesothelioma and asbestosis deaths in the Campania Region (Southern Italy) occurred from 2005 to 2018 and to identify areas at higher risk.

Design: for each municipality, Standardized Mortality Ratios (SMRs) for mesothelioma and asbestosis have been estimated from the mortality data provided by the Italian National Institute of Statistics (Istat). Deaths for which mesothelioma and asbestosis were identified as the underlying causes, according to the classification system ICD-10 codes (C45 and J61, respectively), were included.

Pathological characterization of lung fibrosis in Sprague-Dawley rats treated with fluoro-edenite fibres by intrapleural injection.

Background: An increased incidence of pleural mesotheliomas in Biancavilla (Italy) was attributed to the environmental exposure to fluoro-edenite (FE). Results from the Ramazzini Institute (RI) in vivo long-term study confirmed the evidence that exposure to FE fibres is correlated with an increase of malignant pleural mesotheliomas in Sprague-Dawley rats. Recently asbestosis-like features were substantiated in Biancavilla residents without known occupational exposures.

[Update. Inventory of occupational exposure to asbestos with particular reference to Tuscan worker].

This Catalogue is a collection of information on the use of raw asbestos and asbestos-containing materials used in several industries and occupational activities, with particular attention to the situation of Tuscany, a region of Central Italy. The work was developed at the Institute for Cancer Research, Prevention and Clinical Network (ISPRO) of Florence, where epidemiologic research and surveillance activities have been developing since 1988 and where the coordination and evaluation of the regional health surveillance programme provided to past asbestos workers started in 2016 and is still ongoing. The Catalogue aims at being a working tool for all health professionals engaged in examining and classifying the occupational asbestos exposures of subjects both affected by diseases that could be associated to this carcinogen and examined within the regional health surveillance programme.

Thoracic aortic coarctation with asbestos-induced pleural fibrosis presenting as lower limb claudication.

Asbestos exposure is a well-documented cause of pulmonary diseases. However, its systemic effects, particularly on the cardiovascular system, are less understood. We expose a case that highlights an unusual cardiovascular manifestation in a patient with a history of pleural asbestosis compressing the aorta and clinically manifested as lower limb claudication.

Computed Tomography of Contemporary Occupational Lung Disease: A Pictorial Review.

Occupational lung disease remains one of the most common work-related illnesses and accounts for most deaths from occupational illness. Occupational lung diseases often have delayed manifestation over decades and nonspecific clinical presentations, making it challenging for clinicians to promptly identify the disease and implement preventive measures. Radiologists play a crucial role in identifying and diagnosing occupational lung diseases, allowing for removal of the exposure and early medical intervention.

The Impact of Occupational Exposures on Chronic Rhinosinusitis: A Scoping Review.

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a prevalent and burdensome condition worldwide, characterized by inflammation of the paranasal sinuses. Ideally, instead of treating CRS, we would identify ways to prevent the development of this chronic condition. Occupational exposures may be an excellent target for prevention.

Brazilian Thoracic Society recommendations for the diagnosis and monitoring of asbestos-exposed individuals.

Asbestos was largely used in Brazil. It is a mineral that induces pleural and pulmonary fibrosis, and it is a potent carcinogen. Our objective was to develop recommendations for the performance of adequate imaging tests for screening asbestos-related diseases.

[Mesothelioma-30 years after the asbestos ban in Germany].

In 1993, a total asbestos ban was introduced in Germany. Thirty years later, mesothelioma is still one of the most frequent occupational diseases. Recent data on incidence, mortality, recognized occupational diseases, early detection, and assessment are presented in this article.

[Compensation of occupational diseases during monitoring of the ARDCO cohort].

Introduction: Questions concerning under-reporting of occupational diseases (OD) linked to asbestos exposure are regularly voiced in France. Monitoring of the French multicenter Asbestos-Related Disease Cohort (ARDCO), which ensures post-occupational medical surveillance of subjects having been exposed to asbestos, provides information on (1) the medico-legal steps taken following screening by computed tomography (CT) for benign thoracic diseases, and (2) recognition of OD as a causal factor in malignant diseases.

Methods: OD recognition - and possible compensation - was analyzed in July 2021 among 13,289 volunteers in the cohort recruited between 2003 and 2005.

[Occupational interstitial lung diseases].

A variety of workplace exposures (organic or inorganic dusts as well as gases, fumes, or vapors) can cause diffuse interstitial lung disease. The latency period until onset of the disease can exceed 30 years. The disease course varies greatly and depends on the quantity of the inhaled substance and its fibrogenic effect.

[Occupational diseases related to otorhinolaryngology].

In the German Ordinance on Occupational Diseases (BKV), there are currently 82 occupational diseases listed, of which 18 partially or completely fall within the field of ENT medicine due to the associated health disorders. Noise-induced hearing loss is usually the focus of attention for the ENT specialist, but it has long since ceased to be the only occupational disease. In order to help uncover possible causalities between occupational noxious substances and diseases, it is important that physicians report their own observations and new scientific findings regarding suspected cases to the German Social Accident Insurance, especially in situations where cancer may be linked to occupational influences.

Mortality in an Italian cohort of former asbestos cement workers.

Background: A pooled study on Italian asbestos cement plant cohorts observed mortality risk for asbestos-related diseases. This study analysed the mortality of workers cohort of an asbestos cement plant in Syracuse, Italy.

Methods: Workers' vital status and causes of death, during 1970-2018, were identified in regional health databases.

Asbestos exposure and asbestosis mortality in Italian cement-asbestos cohorts: Dose-response relationship and the role of competing death causes.

Objectives: In Italy, asbestos was used intensively until its ban in 1992, which was extended for asbestos cement factories until 1994. The aim of this study was to evaluate the dose-response between asbestos exposure and asbestosis mortality across a pool of Italian occupational cohorts, taking into account the presence of competing risks.

Methods: Cohorts were followed for vital status and the cause of death was ascertained by a linkage with mortality registers.

Use of Geological Maps in Detecting Asbestos-Related Diseases; A New Region in Anatolia.

Objective: To examine the potential relationship between the presence of asbestos-related diseases (ARDs) in the region of Kastamonu, Turkey.

Methods: The places of birth of patients with ARDs and control subjects diagnosed between 2008 and 2019 and identified in a tertiary hospital in Istanbul. Soil samples were taken from plaster surfaces and quarries.