Source: Annual Congress 2002 - Asbestos and silica

Abstract

Exposure to tremolite and erionite naturally present in the soil causes endemic fibre-related diseases in rural parts of central Turkey. The domestic use of asbestos containing materials for whitewashing and the use of caves dug in volcanic tuffs also contribute to fibre exposure. We evaluate the contribution of the background environmental exposure by analysing the fibre burden in digested lung samples from 27 sheep from erionite (n=9), tremolite (n=2) and control (n=16) villages. Animals were about 5 years old. Ferruginous bodies were detected by light microscopy in 26 animals, with higher concentrations in exposed ones. Fibre concentrations and dimensions were determined by TEM. Sheep from erionite and tremolite villages have higher fibre concentrations in their lungs than controls (geometric mean[geometric standard deviation], erionite villages : 300[1.28] vs 49[1.07] 10³ erionite fibers/g dry lung (p=0.005), tremolite villages : 475[1.29] vs 26[1.04] 10³ tremolite fibers/g dry lung (p=0.02)). Erionite fibres were significantly longer than tremolite fibres (5.4[2.48] vs 3.6[2.05] μm (p=0.002)).
In conclusion, background environmental exposure to erionite or tremolite in central Anatolia result in increased lung fiber burden in exposed animals after 5 years. Analysis of parietal pleura from the same animals are currently ongoing.

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K. Mitchev, L. Coplu, P. De Vuyst, M. Artvinli, P. Dumortier (Brussels, Belgium; Ankara, Turkey). Analysis of mineral fibres in the lungs of sheep from Central Turkey. Eur Respir J 2002; 20: Suppl. 38, 836

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