Activity-Based Exposure Levels and Cancer Risk Assessment Due to Naturally Occurring Asbestos for the Residents Near Abandoned Asbestos Mines in South Korea

This study aims to evaluate the overall asbestos exposure intensity and assess the health risk to residents due to naturally occurring asbestos (NOA) near abandoned asbestos mines in South Korea. Of 38 mines, we found 19 with measured concentrations of NOA. We evaluated the average of airborne NOA concentrations according to the environmental exposure category. When evaluated regionally by dividing into two clusters, the mean concentrations in activity-based sampling (ABS) scenarios exceeded the Korean exposure limit (0.01 f/cc) in both clusters. Moreover, airborne NOA concentrations in agricultural activity (5.49 × 10−2 f/cc) and daily activity (6.95 × 10−2 f/cc) had the highest values for clusters A and B, respectively. The excess lifetime cancer risk of one region (cluster A) by the ABS scenarios did not exceed the Korean Ministry of the Environment’s criteria for soil purification (1 × 10−4). However, one of the ABS scenarios—the daily life activity of clusters centered on Chungcheongbuk-do (cluster B)—showed an exposure of 1.08 × 10−4, greater than the limit (1 × 10−4). This indicates non negligible health damage to residents living near the abandoned asbestos mines, and it is necessary to continuously monitor and clean up the asbestos contamination.

BRONI E CASALE MONFERRATO: DUE COMUNITÀ DI FRONTE ALL’AMIANTO TRA MEMORIA, RIMOZIONE E RICONOSCIMENTO DEL DANNO

The article compares the case of the Eternit cement-asbestos factory in Casale Monferrato to that of the Fibronit factory in Broni. The two towns were assailed by the drama of asbestos contamination, which will continue to affect workers and local inhabitants for a long time to come. In Casale, the memory of the factory and its consequences on the health of the inhabitants has taken the form of a concrete awareness, so much so that Casale has become an emblematic town on both national and international levels. However, the same cannot be said for Broni: here there has been a radical repression of the problem. This paper will demonstrate how tensions within the community open up a range of citizens’viewpoints, which span from a hyper-visualization of the problem – the factory as an omnipresent cause of all the evils of the city – to its complete removal from the urban horizon, making any kind of intervention on public authorities extremely difficult.

Asbestos Contamination in Talc-Based Cosmetics: An Invisible Cancer Risk

The lack of regulation and adequate testing of talc-containing personal care products in the U.S. has resulted in the contamination of cosmetics with asbestos. As such, the true exposure of consumers to asbestos is poorly characterized and likely underestimated. In this study, transmission electron microscopy analysis revealed that 3 of 21 powder-based cosmetic products tested were contaminated with amphibole asbestos. One of these contaminated products is expressly marketed for use by children. The presence of asbestos found in products demonstrates the urgency to revise cosmetics policy. Further, talc-based cosmetics may be an overlooked and difficult to characterize source of exposure to asbestos, a known carcinogen.

Determination of Airborne Concentration and Type of Asbestos Fibers in High-Traffic Areas of Zahedan City

Background:Asbestos fibers are one of the hazardous air pollutants in high-traffic areas of cities. This study was conducted during summer 2016 with the aim of determining the concentration and type of asbestos fibers in the air of high-traffic areas of Zahedan, Iran. Methods: In this descriptive, cross-sectional study, 4 high-traffic and 2 traffic-free areas of Zahedan were chosen. Ambient air samples were collected according to the NIOSH 7400 method, with a flow rate of 2 l/m and 4 hours per day. The asbestos fiber in the samples were analyzed with the use of Phase-Contrast optical Microscopy (PCM) and Scanning Electronic Microscopy (SEM). Results:The mean and standard deviation of asbestos contamination density in high-traffic areas were 0.0012 (0.0004) f/cc and 0.0012, respectively, which were higher than the threshold limit value (TLV). In traffic-free areas with mean and standard deviation of 0.0003 ± 0.0003 f/cc the asbestos concentration was lower than the allowed limits. To check the normality of data Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used (p< 0.05). The results of Kruskal-Wallis test showed that there is a meaningful difference between the means of the two measured groups (p< 0.001). The types of asbestos fibers based on EDS spectrums and electron microscope images were actinolite, tremolite, and chrysotile. Conclusion: The findings of the present study indicated that the concentration of asbestos fibers in the sampleswas higher than the WHO standards for ambient air (0.00005 PCM f/ml). The use of asbestos fibers in car brake and clutch, as well as in asbestos cement sheet and insulation in buildings are among the most important sources of air pollution in the city.

Occupational Exposure to Talc Increases the Risk of Lung Cancer: A Meta-Analysis of Occupational Cohort Studies

Objective. Talc is widely used in industrial applications. Previous meta-analyses of carcinogenic effects associated with inhaled talc included publications before 2004, with a lack of data in China, the largest talc-producing country. The safety of workers exposed to talc was unclear due to limited evidence. The objective of this study was to reevaluate the association between inhaled talc and lung cancer. Setting, Participants, and Outcome Measures. A meta-analysis was performed to calculate the meta-SMR of lung cancer. We searched the MEDLINE, EMBASE, CNKI, and Wanfang Data databases through March 2017. Data from observational studies were pooled using meta-analysis with random effects models. Results. Fourteen observational cohort studies (13 publications) were located via literature search. The heterogeneity of the included data was high (I-squared = 72.9%). Pooling all the cohorts yielded a meta-SMR of 1.45 (95% CI: 1.22–1.72, p<0.0001) for lung cancer among the study subjects exposed to talc. Subgroup analysis for asbestos contamination showed no significant difference in lung cancer death between subjects exposed to talc with and without asbestos (p=0.8680), indicating that this confounding factor may have no significance. Conclusions. This study provides evidence that nonasbestiform talc might still increase the risk of lung cancer. Further epidemiological studies are required to evaluate the safety of workers with occupational talc exposure.