Publication Cover
Inhalation Toxicology
International Forum for Respiratory Research
Volume 27, 2015 - Issue 7
2,530
Views
32
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Review Article

Are pleural plaques an appropriate endpoint for risk analyses?

, &
Pages 321-334 | Received 03 Apr 2015, Accepted 12 May 2015, Published online: 15 Jun 2015

References

  • Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) Review. (2004). ACC Review: Asbestos-related disease. ACC 11:2
  • Al Jarad N, Poulakis N, Pearson MC, et al. (1991). Assessment of asbestos-induced pleural disease by computed tomography – correlation with chest radiograph and lung function. Respir Med 85:203–8
  • Allen RKA, Cramond T, Lennon D, Waterhouse M. (2011). A retrospective study of chest pain in benign asbestos pleural disease. Pain Med 12:1303–8
  • Ameille J. (2012). The different pleuro-pulmonary pathologies related to asbestos: definitions, epidemiology and evolution [Article in French]. Rev Mal Respir 29:1035–46
  • Ameille J, Brochard P, Letourneux M, et al. (2011). Asbestos-related cancer risk in patients with asbestosis or pleural plaques. Rev Mal Respir 28:e11–17
  • Ameille J, Letourneux M. (1999). Nonmalignant asbestos-related diseases [Article in French]. Rev Mal Respir 16:S25–33
  • American Thoracic Society (ATS). (2004). Diagnosis and initial management of nonmalignant diseases related to asbestos. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 170:691–715
  • Antao VC, Larson TC, Horton DK. (2012). Libby vermiculite exposure and risk of developing asbestos-related lung and pleural diseases. Curr Opin Pulm Med 18:161–7
  • Attanoos RL, Gibbs AR. (2009). An approach to industrial post-mortems. Histopath 54:134–42
  • Banks D, Dedhia H. (2011). Chapter 110: the health risks of asbestos exposure inhalation. In: Jindal S, Shankar PS, Raoof S, et al. (eds.) Textbook of pulmonary and critical care medicine. Vol. 1 and 2. New Delhi: Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers P(Ltd), 1351–66
  • Banks DE, Shi R, McLarty J, et al. (2009). American College of Chest Physicians consensus statement on the respiratory health effects of asbestos: results of a Delphi study. Chest 135:1619–27
  • Barbot R, Marquand C Le, Pairon J-C, et al. (2012). Do pleural plaques carry an excess of risk of lung cancer in asbestos-exposed workers? European Society of Radiology ECR Congress 2012, Poster B-0026. Available from: http://posterng.netkey.at/esr/viewing/index.php?module=viewing_poster&pi=110571 [last accessed 18 Feb 2015]
  • Bar-Shai A, Tiran B, Topilsky M, et al. (2012). Continued progression of asbestos-related respiratory disease after more than 15 years of non-exposure. IMAJ 14:560–5
  • Becklake M, Bagatin E, Neder J. (2007). Asbestos-related diseases of the lungs and pleura: uses, trends and management over the last century. Int J Tuberc Lung Dis 11:356–69
  • Bianchi C, Brollo A, Ramani L, Zuch C. (1997). Pleural plaques as risk indicators for malignant pleural mesothelioma: a necropsy-based study. Am J Ind Med 32:445–9
  • Boffetta P. (1998). Health effects of asbestos exposure in humans: a quantitative assessment. Med Lav 89:471–80
  • Boffetta P, Donaldson K, Moolgavkar S, Mandel JS. (2014). A systematic review of occupational exposure to synthetic vitreous fibers and mesothelioma. Crit Rev Toxicol 44:436–49
  • Brims FJH, Davies HE, Lee YCG. (2010). Respiratory chest pain: diagnosis and treatment. Med Clin North Am 94:217–32
  • British Thoracic Society. (2011). Pleural plaques information for health care professionals. London, UK: British Thoracic Society, 11 pp. Available from: https://www.brit-thoracic.org.uk/document-library/clinical-information/mesothelioma/pleural-plaques-information-for-patients/ [last accessed 18 Feb 2015]
  • Broderick A, Fuortes LJ, Merchant JA, et al. (1992). Pleural determinants of restrictive lung function and respiratory symptoms in an asbestos-exposed population. Chest 101:684–91
  • Brodkin CA, Barnhart S, Anderson G, et al. (1993). Correlation between respiratory symptoms and pulmonary function in asbestos-exposed workers. Am Rev Respir Dis 148:32–7
  • Brotman DJ, Walker E, Lauer MS, O’Brien RG. (2005). In search of fewer independent risk factors. Arch Intern Med 165:138–45
  • Chapman S, Robinson G, Stradling J, et al. (eds.) (2014). Chapter 17: Asbestos and the lung. In: Oxford handbook of respiratory medicine. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 111–24
  • Chapman SJ, Cookson WOC, Musk AW, Lee YCG. (2003). Benign asbestos pleural diseases. Curr Opin Pulm Med 9:266–71
  • Christen B, Wegmann W, Vogt P. (1997). Clinical pathology and histology of pleural plaques. Indoor Built Environ 6:79–85
  • Clark KA, Flynn JJ, Goodman JE, et al. (2014). Pleural plaques and their effect on lung function in Libby Vermiculite Miners. Chest 146:786–94
  • Clarke CC, Mowat FS, Kelsh MA, Roberts MA. (2006). Pleural plaques : a review of diagnostic issues and possible nonasbestos factors. Arch Environ Occup Health 61:183–92
  • Clin B, Paris C, Ameille J, et al. (2011). Do asbestos-related pleural plaques on HRCT scans cause restrictive impairment in the absence of pulmonary fibrosis? Thorax 66:985–91
  • Collins J, Stern E. (2015). Chest radiology – the essentials. 3rd ed. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Health, 384
  • Copley SJ, Wells AU, Rubens MB, et al. (2001). Functional consequences of pleural disease evaluated with chest radiography and CT. Radiology 220:237–43
  • Cramond T, Casserly M. (2006). Pain and asbestos related pleural plaques. Pain Med 7:467–8
  • Crane M, Alain P, Letourneux M. (2005). Chapter 7: pleural diseases. In: Kusaka Y, Hering K, Parker J. (eds.) International classification of HRCT for occupational and environmental respiratory diseases. Tokyo: Springer Verlag, 73–92
  • Crapo J. (2005). A fair and efficient system to resolve claims of victims for bodily injury caused by asbestos, and for other purposes. Written testimony (Dated April 23, 2005, 5 pp) for the U.S. Senate, 109th Congress Report, 1st Session, The Fairness In Asbestos Injury Resolution Act Of 2005, U. S. Government Printing Office, June 30, 2005. Washington, DC. Available from: http://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Crapo%20Testimony%20042605.pdf [last accessed 2 Apr 2015]
  • Cugell DW, Kamp DW. (2004). Asbestos and the pleura. Chest 125:1103–17
  • Cullen MR, Barnett MJ, Balmes JR, et al. (2005). Predictors of lung cancer among asbestos-exposed men in the β-carotene and retinol efficacy trial. Am J Epidemiol 161:260–70
  • Cvitanović S, Znaor L, Konsa T, et al. (2003). Malignant and non-malignant asbestos-related pleural and lung disease: 10-year follow-up study. Croat Med J 44:618–25
  • Dalphin J-C. (2011). Follow-up of subjects occupationally exposed to asbestos, what are the objectives, the benefits, and the possible risks? [Article in French]. Rev Mal Respir 28:1230–40
  • Donaldson K, Murphy F, Duffin R, Poland C. (2010). Asbestos, carbon nanotubes and the pleural mesothelium: a review of the hypothesis regarding the role of long fibre retention in the parietal pleura, inflammation and mesothelioma. Part Fibre Toxicol 7:5
  • Dweik R, Mazzone P. (2010). Occupational lung disease. Cleveland Clinic Website. Available from: http://www.clevelandclinicmeded.com/medicalpubs/diseasemanagement/Pulmonary/occupational-lung-disease/ [last accessed 10 Feb 2015]
  • Edelman DA. (1988). Review article asbestos exposure, pleural plaques and the risk of lung cancer. Int Arch Occup Ind Health 60:389–93
  • Edge JR. (1976). Asbestos related disease in Barrow-in-Furness. Environ Res 11:244–7
  • Ehrlich R, Lilis R, Chan E, et al. (1992). Long term radiological effects of short term exposure to amosite asbestos among factory workers. Br J Ind Med 49:268–75
  • Eisenhawer C, Felten MK, Tamm M, et al. (2014). Radiological surveillance of formerly asbestos-exposed power industry workers: rates and risk factors of benign changes on chest X-ray and MDCT. J Occup Med Toxicol 9:18
  • Epstein DM. (1984). Pleural plaques: a marker for respiratory tract malignancy? Chest 86:660–1
  • Evans A, Gleeson F. (2004). Radiology in pleural disease: state of the art. Respirology 9:300–12
  • Finkelstein MM, Vingilis JJ. (1984). Radiographic abnormalities among asbestos-cement workers. An exposure-response study. Am Rev Respir Dis 129:17–22
  • Fishwick D, Barber CM. (2014). Non-malignant asbestos-related diseases: a clinical view. Clin Med J R Coll Physicians London 14:68–71
  • Fletcher DE. (1972). A mortality study of shipyard workers with pleural plaques. Br J Ind Med 29:142–5
  • Gefter WB, Conant EF. (1988). Issues and controversies in the plain-film diagnosis of asbestos-related disorders in the chest. J Thorac Imaging 3:11–28
  • Gevenois P, De Maertelaer V, Madani A, et al. (1998). Asbestosis, pleural plaques and diffuse pleural thickening: three distinct benign responses to asbestos exposure. Eur Respir J 11:1021–7
  • Gevenois P, de Vuyst P. (2006). Chapter 8: non-malignant asbestos-related pleural disorders. In: Gevenois P, de Vuyst P. (eds.) Imaging of occupational and environmental disorders of the chest. Berlin: Springer-Verlag, 223–38
  • Goldberg M. (2005). Are lung and pleural benign asbestos induced diseases a preliminary step in the pathogenic process of mesothelioma and lung cancer development? Occup Environ Med 62:663–4
  • Greim H, Utell MJ, Maxim LD, Niebo R. (2014). Perspectives on refractory ceramic fiber (RCF) carcinogenicity: comparisons with other fibers. Inhal Toxicol 8378:789–810
  • Harber P, Mohsenifar Z, Oren A, Lew M. (1987). Pleural plaques and asbestos-associated malignancy. J Occup Med 29:641–4
  • Hillerdal G. (1981). Non-malignant asbestos pleural disease. Thorax 36:669–75
  • Hillerdal G. (1994). Pleural plaques and risk for bronchial carcinoma and mesothelioma. A prospective study. Chest 105:144–50
  • Hillerdal G. (1997). Pleural plaques: incidence and epidemiology, exposed workers and the general population a review. Indoor Built Environ 6:86–95
  • Hillerdal G. (2001). Radiological changes as markers of environmental exposure and environmental risk of lung cancer and mesothelioma. USEPA 2001 Asbestos Health Effects Conference, 2001 May 1–10
  • Hillerdal G, Henderson D. (1997). Asbestos, asbestosis, pleural plaques and lung cancer. Scand J Work Environ Health 23:93–103
  • Hilt B, Lien JT, Lund-Larsen PG. (1987). Lung function and respiratory symptoms in subjects with asbestos-related disorders: a cross-sectional study. Am J Ind Med 11:517–28
  • Hosmer D, Lemeshow S. (2000). Applied logistic regression. 2nd ed. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 383 p
  • Hosoda Y, Hiraga Y, Sasagawa S. (2008). Railways and Asbestos in Japan (1928–1987) – epidemiology of pleural plaques, malignancies and Pneumoconioses. J Occup Health 50:297–307
  • Hourihane DO, Lessof L, Richardson PC. (1966). Hyaline and calcified pleural plaques as an index of exposure to asbestos: a study of radiological and pathological features of 100 cases with a consideration of epidemiology. Br Med J 1:1069–74
  • Hughes JM, Weill H. (1991). Asbestosis as a precursor of asbestos related lung cancer: results of a prospective mortality study. Occup Environ Med 48:229–33
  • Huuskonen M, Tossavainen A. (1996). Health effects associated with wollastonite exposure. J Occup Health Saf Aust NZ 12:357–60
  • Huuskonen MS, Jarvisalo J, Koskinen H, et al. (1983). Preliminary results from a cohort of workers exposed to wollastonite in a Finnish limestone quarry. Scand J Work Environ Health 9:169–75
  • Industrial Injuries Advisory Council (IIAC). (2008). Position Paper 23 – Pleural plaques. London, UK: IIAC. Available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/328553/iiac-pp23.pdf [last accessed 18 Feb 2015]
  • Jakobsson K. (1993). Colorectal cancer and non-malignant respiratory disease in asbestos cement and cement workers. Studies on mortality, cancer morbidity, and radiographical changes in lung parenchyma and pleura. Thesis, Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, University of Lund, Lund, Sweden, 59 p
  • Jakobsson K, Strömberg U, Albin M, et al. (1995). Radiological changes in asbestos-cement workers. Occup Environ Med 52:20–7
  • Järvholm B. (1992). Pleural plaques and exposure to asbestos: a mathematical model. Int J Epidemiol 21:1180–4
  • Järvholm B, Hillerdal G, Jarliden K, et al. (1995). Occurrence of pleural plaques in workers with exposure to mineral wool. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 67:343–6
  • Järvholm B, Larsson S. (1988). Do pleural plaques produce symptoms? A brief report. J Occup Med 30:345–7
  • Järvholm B, Sandén A. (1987). Estimating asbestos exposure: a comparison of methods. J Occup Med 29:361–3
  • Jeebun V, Stenton SC. (2012). The presentation and natural history of asbestos-induced diffuse pleural thickening. Occup Med 62:266–8
  • Jones R. (1997). Pleural plaques: diagnostic problems and significance. Indoor Built Environ 6:106–13
  • Jones RN, McLoud T, Rockoff SD. (1988). The radiographic pleural abnormalities in asbestos exposure: relationship to physiologic abnormalities. J Thorac Imaging 3:57–66
  • Jones RN, Hughes JM, Weill H. (1996). Asbestos exposure, asbestosis, and asbestos-attributable lung cancer. Thorax 51:S9–15
  • Kamp DW. (2009). Asbestos-induced lung diseases: an update. Transl Res 153:143–52
  • Karjalainen A, Karhunen PJ, Lalu K, et al. (1994). Pleural plaques and exposure to mineral fibres in a male urban necropsy population. Occup Environ Med 51:456–60
  • Karjalainen A, Pukkala E, Kauppinen T, Partanen T. (1999). Incidence of cancer among Finnish patients with asbestos-related pulmonary or pleural fibrosis. Cancer Causes Control 10:51–7
  • Kerper LE, Lynch HN, Zu K, et al. (2014). Systematic review of pleural plaques and lung function. Inhal Toxicol 27:15–24
  • Kiviluoto R, Meurman LO, Hakama M. (1979). Pleural plaques and neoplasia in Finland. Ann N Y Acad Sci 330:31–3
  • Kleinbaum DG, Klein M. (2002). Logistic regression. 2nd ed. New York: Springer, 523 p
  • Kopylev L, Christensen K, Brown J, Cooper G. (2014). A systematic review of the association between pleural plaques and changes in lung function. Occup Environ Med . [Epub ahead of print]. doi: 10.1136/oemed-2014-102468
  • Koskinen HO, Nordman HL, Zitting AJ, et al. (1997). Fibrosis of the lung and pleura and long-term exposure to wollastonite. Scand J Work Environ Health 23:41–7
  • Koskinen K, Pukkala E, Martikainen R, et al. (2002). Different measures of asbestos exposure in estimating risk of lung cancer and mesothelioma among construction workers. JOEM 44:1190–6
  • Kratzke R. (2013). Detection of mesothelioma remains a conundrum [sic]. J Natl Cancer Inst 105:254–5
  • Larson TC, Franzblau A, Lewin M, et al. (2014). Impact of body mass index on the detection of radiographic localized pleural thickening. Acad Radiol 21:3–10
  • Larson TC, Meyer CA, Kapil V, et al. (2010). Workers with Libby amphibole exposure: retrospective identification and progression of radiographic changes. Radiology 255:924–33
  • LeMasters GK, Lockey JE, Yiin JH, et al. (2003). Mortality of workers occupationally exposed to refractory ceramic fibers. JOEM 45:440–50
  • Letourneux M. (1999). Risk assessment of benign asbestosis (dose-effect relationship, time-effect relationship, co-factors) [Article in French]. Rev Mal Respir 16:1270–7
  • Lewinsohn HC. (1974). Early malignant changes in pleural plaques due to asbestos exposure: a case report. Br J Dis Chest 68:121–7
  • Liddell FD, McDonald JC. (1980). Radiological findings as predictors of mortality in Quebec asbestos workers. Br J Ind Med 37:257–67
  • Lilis R, Miller A, Godbold J, et al. (1991). The effect of asbestos-induced pleural fibrosis on pulmonary function: quantitative evaluation. Ann NY Acad Sci 643:162–8
  • Lockey J, Lemasters G, Rice C, et al. (1996). Refractory ceramic fiber exposure and pleural plaques. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 154:1405–10
  • Lockey JE, Dunning K, Hilbert TJ, et al. (2015). HRCT/CT and associated spirometric effects of low libby amphibole asbestos exposure. J Occup Environ Med 57:6–13
  • Lotti M. (2010). Asbestos-related lung cancer [Article in Italian]. G Ital Med Lav Ergon 32:381–4
  • Lynch DA, Gamsu G, Aberle DR. (1989). Conventional and high resolution computed tomography in the diagnosis of asbestos-related diseases. Radiographics 9:523–51
  • Mastrangelo G, Ballarin MN, Bellini E, et al. (2009). Asbestos exposure and benign asbestos diseases in 772 formerly exposed workers: dose-response relationships. Am J Ind Med 52:596–602
  • Maxim LD, McConnell EE. (2005). A review of the toxicology and epidemiology of wollastonite. Inhal Toxicol 17:451–66
  • Maxim LD, Niebo R, Utell MJ, et al. (2014). Wollastonite toxicity: an update. Inhal Toxicol 26:95–112
  • McDonald JC, Sebastien P, Armstrong B. (1986). Radiological survey of past and present vermiculite miners exposed to tremolite. Br J Ind Med 43:445–9
  • McLoud TC, Woods BO, Carrington CB, et al. (1985). Diffuse pleural thickening in an asbestos-exposed population: prevalence and causes. Am J Roentgen 144:9–18
  • Meirelles GSP, Kavakama JI, Jasinowodolinski D, et al. (2005). Asbestos-related pleural plaques: a literature review [Article in Portuguese]. Rev Portuguesa Pneumol 11:487–97
  • Miles SE, Sandrini A, Johnson AR, Yates DH. (2008). Clinical consequences of asbestos-related diffuse pleural thickening: a review. J Occup Med Toxicol 3:20
  • Miller A, Lilis R, Godbold J, et al. (1994). Spirometric impairments in long-term insulators: relationships to duration of exposure, smoking, and radiographic abnormalities. Chest 105:175–82
  • Miller BH, Rosado-de-Christenson ML, Mason AC, et al. (1996). From the archives of the AFIP. Malignant pleural mesothelioma: radiologic-pathologic correlation. Radiographics 16:613–44
  • Mohr L. (2012). Clinical background information and comments on recent scientific publications and the draft EPA report (August 2011) pertaining to libby amphibole asbestos, a report submitted to the Scientific Advisory Board, United States Environmental Protection Agency Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 55 pp
  • Mollo F, Andrion A, Colombo A, et al. (1984). Pleural plaques and risk of cancer in Turin, Northwestern Italy. An autopsy study. Cancer 54:1418–22
  • Montes I, Abu Shams K, Alday E, et al. (2005). Guidelines on asbestos-related pleuropulmonary disease. Arch Bronconeumol 41:153–68
  • Moolgavkar SH, Anderson EL, Chang ET, et al. (2014). A review and critique of U.S. EPA’s risk assessments for asbestos. Crit Rev Toxicol 44:499–522
  • Mukherjee S, De Klerk N, Palmer LJ, et al. (2000). Chest pain in asbestos-exposed individuals with benign pleural and parenchymal disease. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 162:1807–11
  • Myers R. (2012). Asbestos-related pleural disease. Curr Opin Pulm Med 18:377–81
  • Neri S, Antonelli A, Falaschi F, et al. (1994). Findings from high resolution computed tomography of the lung and pleura of symptom free workers exposed to amosite who had normal chest radiographs and pulmonary function tests. Occup Environ Med 51:239–43
  • Nielsen LS, Bælum J, Rasmussen J, et al. (2014). Occupational asbestos exposure and lung cancer – a systematic review of the literature. Arch Environ Occup Health 69:191–206
  • Nishimura SL, Broaddus VC. (1998). Asbestos-induced pleural disease. Clin Chest Med 19:311–29
  • Nurminen M, Tossavainen A. (1994a). Is there an association between pleural plaques and lung cancer without asbestosis? Scand J Work Environ Health 20:62–4
  • Nurminen M, Tossavainen A. (1994b). Asbestos-related pleural plaques and lung cancer. Chest 106:648–9
  • O’Reilley K, Mclaughlin A, Beckett W, Sime P. (2007). Asbestos-related lung disease. Am Fam Physician 75:683–8
  • Ohlson CG, Bodin L, Rydman T, Hogstedt C. (1985). Ventilatory decrements in former asbestos cement workers: a four year follow up. Occup Environ Med 42:612–16
  • Oliver LC, Eisen EA, Greene R, Sprince NL. (1988). Asbestos-related pleural plaques and lung function. Am J Ind Med 14:649–56
  • Pairon J, Andujar P, Rinaldo M, et al. (2014). Asbestos exposure, pleural plaques, and the risk of death from lung cancer. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 190:1413–20
  • Pairon J, Laurent F, Jacques A. (2013a). Pleural plaques and the risk of lung cancer in a French cohort of asbestos-exposed subjects. Eur Respir J 42(S57):1910
  • Pairon J, Laurent F, Rinaldo M, et al. (2013b). Pleural plaques and the risk of pleural mesothelioma. J Natl Cancer Inst 105:293–301
  • Paris C, Martin A, Letourneux M, Wild P. (2008). Modelling prevalence and incidence of fibrosis and pleural plaques in asbestos-exposed populations for screening and follow-up: a cross-sectional study. Environ Health 7:30
  • Paris C, Thierry S, Brochard P, et al. (2009). Pleural plaques and asbestosis: dose- and time-response relationships based on HRCT data. Eur Respir J 34:72–9
  • Park EK, Thomas PS, Wilson D, et al. (2011). Chest pain in asbestos and silica-exposed workers. Occup Med 61:178–83
  • Partanen T, Nurminen M, Zitting A, et al. (1992). Localized pleural plaques and lung cancer. Am J Ind Med 22:185–92
  • Reid A, de Klerk N, Ambrosini G, et al. (2005). The additional risk of malignant mesothelioma in former workers and residents of Wittenoom with benign pleural disease or asbestosis. Occup Environ Med 62:665–9
  • Rey F, Boutin C, Steinbauer J, et al. (1993). Environmental pleural plaques in an asbestos exposed population of northeast Corsica. Eur Respir J 6:978–82
  • Roach HD, Davies GJ, Attanoos R, et al. (2002). Asbestos: when the dust settles – an imaging review of asbestos-related disease. Radiographics 22:S167–84
  • Roberts GH. (1971). The pathology of parietal pleural plaques. J Clin Path 24:348–53
  • Robinson BW, Musk AW. (1981). Benign asbestos pleural effusion: diagnosis and course. Thorax 36:896–900
  • Rohs AM, Lockey JE, Dunning KK, et al. (2008). Low-level fiber-induced radiographic changes caused by Libby vermiculite: a 25-year follow-up study. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 177:630–7
  • Rom WN, Lockey JE. (1982). Diffuse malignant mesothelioma: a review. Western J Med 137:548–54
  • Rubin AH. (1986). Common problems in asbestos-related pulmonary diseases. Am J Ind Med 10:555–62
  • Rudd RM. (1996). New developments in asbestos-related pleural disease. Thorax 51:210–16
  • Sandén A, Järvholm B. (1986). Pleural plaques, respiratory symptoms and respiratory function in shipyard workers exposed to man-made mineral fibres. Occup Med 36:86–9
  • Sandén A, Järvholm B. (1991). A study of possible predictors of mesothelioma in shipyard workers exposed to asbestos. J Occup Med 33:770–3
  • Sandén A, Järvholm B, Larsson S, Thiringer G. (1992). The risk of lung cancer and mesothelioma after cessation of asbestos exposure: a prospective cohort study of shipyard workers. Eur Respir J 5:281–5
  • Sargent EN, Jacobson G, Gordonson JS. (1977). Pleural plaques: a signpost of asbestos dust inhalation. Semin Roentgenol 12:287–97
  • Sargent EN, Gordonson J, Jacobson G, et al. (1978). Bilateral pleural thickening: a manifestation of asbestos dust exposure. Am J Roentgenol 131:579–85
  • Schaer B, Michel Y. (2012). Pleural plaques, when and how to treat? [Article in French]. Rev Mal Suisse 26:1826–30
  • Scherpereel A, Astoul P, Baas P, et al. (2010). Guidelines of the European Respiratory Society and the European Society of Thoracic Surgeons for the management of malignant pleural mesothelioma. Eur Respir J 35:479–95
  • Schwartz A. (1994). Chapter 4: the pathology of environmental lung disease. In: Witorsch P, Spagnolo S. (eds.) Air pollution and lung disease in adults. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 97–128
  • Sheers G. (1979). Asbestos-associated disease in employees of Devonport Dockyard. Ann N Y Acad Sci 330:281–7
  • Shepherd JR, Hillerdal G, McLarty J. (1997). Progression of pleural and parenchymal disease on chest radiographs of workers exposed to amosite asbestos. Occup Environ Med 54:410–15
  • Smith DD. (1994). Plaques, cancer, and confusion. Chest 105:8–9
  • Sood A, Gee J. (1997). Asbestos-related pleural plaques and diffuse pleural thickening: functional consequences. Indoor Built Environ 6:114–18
  • Soulat JM, Lauque D, Esquirol Y, et al. (1999). High-resolution computed tomography abnormalities in ex-insulators annually exposed to asbestos dust. Am J Ind Med 36:593–601
  • Suganuma N, Kusaka Y, Hiraga Y, et al. (2001). Asbestos-related pleural abnormalities detected by chest X-ray: fair agreement with detection by computed tomography. J Occup Health 43:365–70
  • Thiringer G, Blomqvist N, Brolin I, Mattson SB. (1980). Pleural plaques in chest X-rays of lung cancer patients and matched controls (preliminary results). Eur J Respir Dis Suppl 107:119–22
  • Thomas JD, Mohammed O, Slaughter RE, et al. (2011). Relationships between pleural plaques, lung asbestos content and asbestos exposure in Australians with or at risk of lung cancer. J Thoracic Oncol 6:S9–10
  • Tossavainen A. (1997). Asbestos, asbestosis, and cancer: the Helsinki criteria for diagnosis and attribution. Scand J Work Environ Health 23:311–16
  • US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). (2014). Toxicological review of Libby amphibole asbestos, EPA/635/R-11/002F. Washington, DC: US EPA, 685. Available from: http://www.epa.gov/iris/toxreviews/1026tr.pdf [last accessed 10 Feb 2015]
  • Utell MJ, Maxim LD. (2010). Refractory ceramic fiber (RCF) toxicity and epidemiology: a review. Inhal Toxicol 22:500–21
  • Van Cleemput J, de Raeve H, Verschakelen J, et al. (2001). Surface of localized pleural plaques quantitated by computed tomography scanning: no relation with cumulative asbestos exposure and no effect on lung function. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 163:705–10
  • van Gelder T, Hoogsteden HC, Versnel MA, et al. (1989). Malignant pleural mesothelioma in the southwestern part of The Netherlands. Eur Respir J 2:981–4
  • Wain SL, Roggli VL, Foster WL. (1984). Parietal pleural plaques, asbestos bodies, and neoplasia. A clinical, pathologic, and roentgenographic correlation of 25 consecutive cases. Chest 86:707–13
  • Walker CM, Takasugi JE, Chung JH, et al. (2012). Tumorlike conditions of the pleura. Radiographics 32:971–85
  • Wang XR, Yano E, Wang M, et al. (2001). Pulmonary function in long-term asbestos workers in China. J Occup Environ Med 43:623–9
  • Weill D, Dhillon G, Freyder L, et al. (2011). Lung function, radiological changes and exposure: analysis of ATSDR data from Libby, MT, USA. Eur Respir J 38:376–83
  • Weill D, Weill H. (2005). Diagnosis and initial management of nonmalignant diseases related to asbestos. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 171:527–30
  • Weiss W. (1993). Asbestos-related pleural plaques and lung cancer. Chest 103:1854–9
  • Weiss W. (1999). Asbestosis: a marker for the increased risk of lung cancer among workers exposed to asbestos. Chest 115:536–49
  • Welch LS, Haile E, Dement J, Michaels D. (2007). Change in prevalence of asbestos-related disease among sheet metal workers 1986 to 2004. Chest 131:863–9
  • Wilken D, Velasco Garrido M, Manuwald U, Baur X. (2011). Lung function in asbestos-exposed workers, a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Occup Med Toxicol 6:21. Available from: http://www.occup-med.com/content/6/1/21 [last accessed 18 Feb 2015]
  • WorkSafe BC. (2009). Bronchogenic carcinoma (lung cancer) in asbestos-exposed workers. Vancouver, BC: WorkSafeBC, 178. Available from: http://www.worksafebc.com/regulation_and_policy/archived_information/policy_discussion_papers/pdf/bronchogeniccarcinomaaApendixB.pdf [last accessed 15 Feb 2015]
  • Zu K, Ge T, Kerper L, et al. (2015). Evaluation of US EPA’s Noncancer Risk Assessment of Libby Amphibole Asbestos. Poster presentation #653 (abstract #770) at Society of Toxicology (SOT) 54th Annual Meeting and ToxExpo, 2015 March 22–26, San Diego, CA. Available from: http://www.toxicology.org/AI/Pub/Prog/2015Program.pdf [last accessed 23 Mar 2015]