Association of Metsovo lung and pleural mesothelioma with exposure to tremolite-containing whitewash

Pleural thickening, bilateral pleural hyalinised plaques, and restrictive lung function are found among inhabitants of four small villages in northwestern Greece. Transbronchial biopsy samples from patients with disease contained tremolite fibres. Malignant pleural mesothelioma has now been reported...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe Lancet (British edition) Vol. 1; no. 8539; p. 965
Main Authors Langer, A M, Nolan, R P, Constantopoulos, S H, Moutsopoulos, H M
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published England 25.04.1987
Subjects
Adult
Aged
Asbestos, Amphibole
Calcinosis - epidemiology
Calcinosis - etiology
Environmental Exposure
Female
Greece
Humans
Lung Diseases - epidemiology
Lung Diseases - etiology
Male
Mesothelioma - epidemiology
Mesothelioma - etiology
Middle Aged
Paint - analysis
Pleural Neoplasms - epidemiology
Pleural Neoplasms - etiology
Silicic Acid - adverse effects
Silicic Acid - analysis
Silicon Dioxide - adverse effects
X-Ray Diffraction
Greece
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Summary:Pleural thickening, bilateral pleural hyalinised plaques, and restrictive lung function are found among inhabitants of four small villages in northwestern Greece. Transbronchial biopsy samples from patients with disease contained tremolite fibres. Malignant pleural mesothelioma has now been reported in these villages and accounts for approximately 1% of the total mortality from 1981 to 1985. The principal whitewash once used in this area is predominantly asbestiform tremolite. The fibre is identical in every respect to fibres found in the lung tissues of people with Metsovo lung. The membrane activity of this tremolite is greater than that of the commercially used asbestiform amphiboles amosite and crocidolite. This measure of cytotoxicity lends further support to the hypothesis that this fibre is the agent of Metsovo lung and mesothelioma.
ISSN:0140-6736