Asbestos and Cancer: An Overview of Current Trends in Europe

Abstract

This review assesses the contribution of occupational asbestos exposure to the occurrence of mesothelioma and lung cancer in Europe. Available information on national asbestos consumption, proportions of the population exposed, and exposure levels is summarized. Population-based studies from various European regions on occupational asbestos exposure, mesothelioma, and lung cancer are reviewed. Asbestos consumption in 1994 ranged, per capita, between 0.004 kg in northern Europe and 2.4 kg in the former Soviet Union. Population surveys from northern Europe indicate that 15 to 30% of the male (and a few percent of the female) population has ever had occupational exposure to asbestos, mainly in construction (75% in Finland) or in shipyards. Studies on mesothelioma combining occupational history with biologic exposure indices indicate occupational asbestos exposure in 62 to 85% of the cases. Population attributable risks for lung cancer among males range between 2 and 50% for definite asbestos exposure. After exclusion of the most extreme values because of methodologic aspects, most of the remaining estimates are within the range of 10 to 20%. Estimates of women are lower. Extrapolation of the results to national figures would decrease the estimates. Norwegian estimates indicate that one-third of expected asbestos-related lung cancers might be avoided if former asbestos workers quit smoking. The combination of a current high asbestos consumption per capita, high exposure levels, and high underlying lung cancer rates in Central Europe and the former Soviet Union suggests that the lung cancers will arise from the smoking-asbestos interaction should be a major concern. -Environ Health Perspect 107(Suppl 2):289-298 (1999).http.//ehpnetl.niehs.nih.gov/docs/1999/Suppl-2/289-298albin/abstract.html Key words: asbestos, lung cancer, mesothelioma, population attributable risk, proportion exposed Asbestos exposure can induce malignant and nonmalignant diseases. This article only addresses the former, and it is further restricted to those diseases unequivocally associated with asbestos, that is, mesothelioma and lung cancer. These diseases are induced by all commercial asbestos qualities (chrysotile, amosite, crocidolite, and anthophyllite) and by tremolite, with exposure-response patterns determined by fiber size and fiber type (1).

Malignant mesothelioma - German mesothelioma register 1987-1999

“…The number of mesotheliomas in the industrial nations is still growing [75,4]. The data of the German mesothelioma register show the same trend.…”

The relationship between malignant mesothelioma and an asbestos cement plant environmental risk: a spatial case–control study in the city of Bari (Italy)

“…An increased mortality rate due to malignant mesothelioma (MM) was documented in many European nations and Italy during the 1990s that was related to the massive spread of asbestos used during the 1950s and the 1960s (Albin et al 1999;Comba et al 2005;Bianchi and Bianchi 2007). Some authors have estimated that the growing incidence of this tumor observed in the last decades will reach a peak between 2010 and 2020 (La Vecchia et al 2000;Marinaccio et al 2005;Pannelli et al 2006).…”

Asbestos Surveillance Program Aachen (ASPA): initial results from baseline screening for lung cancer in asbestos-exposed high-risk individuals using low-dose multidetector-row CT

“…Further increases in lung cancer due to asbestos exposure are expected for the near future [11][12][13]. Combining the risk of developing lung cancer from asbestos and smoking leads to a multiplication of the risk of developing lung cancer [14][15][16][17].…”