13
Views
4
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Original Articles

Asbestos Fiber Analysis in Seven Asbestosis Cases

, , , , &
Pages 67-72 | Accepted 30 Mar 1993, Published online: 03 Aug 2010
 

Abstract

Asbestos bodies and fibers deposited in the lungs of seven asbestosis cases were counted after tissue digestion. The types and sizes of 100 asbestos fibers for each case were also analyzed. Asbestos bodies were counted with an optical microscope at 100 × magnification, and asbestos fibers were counted with a transmission electron microscope (TEM) at 2000 × magnification. Most asbestos fibers detected with TEM were longer than 3 μm (92.5%) and thicker than 0.1 μm (92.3%). Short fibers less than 2 μm—both chrysotile and amphiboles, as well as long, thin fibers less than 0.06 μm—would be missed at 2000 × (TEM). An average of 1.37 (0.081–5.5) × 106 asbestos bodies and 164.8 (0.55–610) × 106 asbestos fibers per 5 g wet (0.88 g dry) lung tissue were found, and these values are higher than what was reported in mesothelioma cases without asbestosis that were reported previously. More than 13 (average = 266.2) asbestos bodies were found in a 4-μm-thick tissue section (average area = 3.24 cm2). One asbestos body in a section equaled approximately 5 000 per 5 g wet lung tissue. The intensity of fibrosis was minimal in one case, mild in four, moderate and severe in one each, and the intensity was correlated with the number of asbestos bodies and fibers. The fibrosis in the severe case may have been intensified by repeated infection. Crocidolite fibers were found most frequently (84.7%), were thin, and had a high aspect ratio by our counting rules. Crocidolite with a high aspect ratio may be most fibrogenic in the lung.

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.