Document 91aQmokKgR7Rw4eGMjq9qpk2V

/ I V; ia*bit'll r - 12C - duration and comparability of history taking procedures for evaluating past asbestos exposure} study of the significance of (pare-)occupational exposure situations, 14, Study of the age and sex standardised incidence of malignant tumours in the general population according to areas of living-working: urban-rural, industrialisation in general# presence of asbestos industries, presence of dockyards and harbours, presence of asbestos mines and presence of other potential asbestos emitting sources. A general remark on the feasibility of epidemiological studies appears to be appropriate. The question is whether an epidemiological approach can be found, that delineates the contributory role of asbestos and other mineral fibres to induction of malignant tumours. with retrospective techniques, it has been possible to establish past exposure to asbestos in most cases of meso thelioma, It is probable that with more complete history taking only a rela tively small number of mesothelioma patients will remain having no (para-) occupational exposure. How wo can regard this remaining group is still un clear. A logical assumption is that this jroup contains; a)' not recognised (para- loccupatior.al or neighbourhood exposure, b) cases due to true environmental exposure, c) cases due to other pollutants (mineral fibres?), d) cases not related to asbestos or other pollutants. To study this, one would need fairly large nur.ibcrs of cases, cnc would also like to compare large communities, and one would like to know the normal" fibre burden of the lung. At present the number of mesothelioma cases in, for example, the Netherlands may be too small to study an urbaniration effect. So, the question can only be solved, it seems, ty waiting until higher numbers become available, or by perform! rig a T_iqidl_y coo: dir.^t cd i nt ernati ona I study. Within the EEC,fte&cthcl lema regisi: oli on scr.ot r..os appears to be related to the social insurance system and reverts, only occupationally related cases, which have to be financially c^..pentatrC system will underieport the total prevalence. As for bronchial cancer, the pc rspccti ves may be brighter. There is still a clear urban-rural gradient in most countries; this gradient is dimini shing however, at least in the UK and in the Netherlands. Still if we could quant: might, the e. ashes indue of br be pu Ohio) card miner with sourc Jlty. is (3` pri * the 3. 3. 30. 33 . BOO) 0819 PROm ipfh ry Fnpn