Unusual Exposure to Asbestos in Bag Manufacturing Plant

The following is an article translated from Italian, and written by Tomasini M., Forni A, Rivolta G, and Chiappino G., Istituto di Medicina del Lavoro, Università degli studi di Milano.

Although the risks connected with occupational exposure to asbestos and its numerous industrial uses are widely known, it still happens that instances of exposure with high potential risk are discovered.

A detailed study of a worker suffering from silicosis and asbestosis who had worked for many years in a firm dealing with the recovery and re-use of used jute sacks also containing asbestos, revealed the existence of a real asbestosis risk in the firm, with the result that other workers in the same firm were studied.

A total of 22 subjects were studied, 17 of whom also underwent bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and determination of the cellular composition of the recovery liquid in order to establish the presence of asbestos alveolitis.

The age of the subjects ranged between 39 and 75 years (x = 56.36), length of service in the firm ranged between 2 and 18 years (x = 9.27), time between start of exposure and clinical examination varied between 29 and 50 years (x = 40.27).

The 22 subjects were divided into 3 groups on the basis of the radiological examinations: 1) 8 cases were negative (36.36%); 2) 8 cases had pleural alterations only (36.36%); 3) 6 cases had interstitial lung disease (with and without pleural lesions) (27.27%). Of the 17 subjects who underwent BAL, 7 were in the first group, 7 in the second and 3 in the third. Among these 17 subjects BAL showed absence of alveolitis in all subjects of the first group, diagnosis of alveolitis in only some of the second group, and in the entire third group.