Asbestos Exposure and Neoplasia

TLDR

Insulation workers in the building trades experience intermittent, low‑level asbestos exposure. In a cohort of 632 insulation workers, 45 lung or pleural cancers occurred—four mesotheliomas—far exceeding the 6.6 expected, with additional excess stomach, colon, and rectal cancers, whereas other cancers and asbestosis deaths were not markedly increased.

Abstract

Building trades insulation workers have relatively light, intermittent, exposure to asbestos. Of 632 insulation workers, who entered the trade before 1943 and were traced through 1962, forty-five died of cancer of the lung or pleura, whereas only 6.6 such deaths were expected. Three of the pleural tumors were mesotheliomas; there was also one peritoneal mesothelioma. Four mesotheliomas in a total of 255 deaths is an exceedingly high incidence for such a rare tumor. In addition, an unexpectedly large number of men died of cancer of the stomach, colon, or rectum (29 compared with 9.4 expected). Other cancers were not increased; 20.5 were expected, 21 occurred. Twelve men died of asbestosis.