Attribution of lung cancer to occupational asbestos exposure [Attribuzione dei tumori polmonari all’esposizione occupazionale ad asbesto]

The professional exposure to chrysotile, amosite, anthophyllite and mixed fibers containing crocidolite causes an increase of the prevalence of all types of carcinomas. Today, it has been stated that there is a casual association between asbestos exposure and bronchial carcinoma, with a synergistic effect of asbestos inhalation with tobacco smoke. The aim of the study was to identify the frequency of asbestos-related, lung cancer in a group of unselected surgical cases of lung carcinoma diagnosed in the hospital of Siena. We have analysed 87 subjects (67 males, 20 females) with different istology of lung cancers. The past asbestos exposure has been determined assessing the concentration of asbestos bodies (AB) in the pulmonary tissue by optical microscopy (M.O.). According to Mollo et al. we have considered as occupational cancers, the cases in which the concentration of AB were more than 1000/g dry tissue, in 64 cases the concentration of AB/g dry tissue was upper to detection limit. In 5 cases with clear past asbestos exposure, the concentration of AB/g dry tissue was >1000/g dry tissue. On the basis of this we have identified as occupational 5 cases of lung cancers that would have been considered not correlated to work activity.