David N. Weissman, M.D.’s Testimony: Research on Asbestos Related Disease

Read more from the testimony of Dr. Weissman, who spoke before the Senate’s Committee on the Environment and Public Works about the dangers of asbestos. In this section, he discusses research on the detection of asbestos-related respiratory diseases.

NIOSH is pursuing research relevant to the detection of asbestos-related respiratory diseases. Traditionally, film-based chest radiographs have been used in epidemiological studies evaluating workers for pulmonary and pleural disease associated with asbestos exposure.

This is because only film-based chest radiographs may be systematically classified for changes of dust-induced lung disease (pneumoconiosis) using the widely accepted International Labour Organization (ILO) classification system.

However, in the United States, digital chest radiography has largely replaced film-based radiography.

NIOSH has funded research to evaluate the impact of classifying digital, instead of film-based, chest x-rays on the detection and classification of pulmonary and pleural disease.

Initial results suggest that the two methods do not differ significantly in detection of interstitial (lung tissue) processes, but do differ in detection of pleural processes, with fewer pleural changes detected in those undergoing digital chest radiography.

In follow up to this finding, NIOSH is assisting ATSDR in performing a study to compare detection of pleural changes in those exposed to Libby amphibole by film-based and digital radiography, with findings of computed tomography scans of the chest serving as a “gold standard.”

In 2006, NIOSH published a Recommended Exposure Limit (REL) for another type of inorganic fiber, refractory ceramic fibers (RCF).

Although RCF are man-made fibers which differ from asbestos in toxicity, many of the same issues relevant to asbestos such as fiber length, diameter, and biopersistence were considered in developing the NIOSH REL of 0.5 fibers per cc.

Courtesy of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS): http://www.hhs.gov/asl/testify/2007/06/t20070612c.html

Courtesy of EPA

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