Document KGRBzEoywk08J752J821pMo5Q

Reprinted from the Archives oI Environmental Health 186 August 1969. Volume 19 Copyright 1?969,. American Mi edical Association REPR"!t S T 0 0 I1577 Pulmonary Ferruginous Bodies in City Dwellers A Study of Their Central Fiber Ctayio6iy which compricoo imh Hu nq el the ntiitei uoed In this country, heo a Paul Grose, HD; Robert T. P. dtTrtville, MD, D Sc; and Martin N. Haller, Pittsburgh unique, hoSow, tubular, cryauilna i under the electron i On the boeie el the electron i chryeotlle wee decisively eictuded of the ooree el aM 2t temiglnoue aipnnd to arbietoa. TMe eiduelon la oonaMerod highly elgnMteenl beceuee H the fefrugtooue bodice bi the ebosc CVTj Slum VMM 9MI GNWQ wf ini MMMI Ml eebeetoe dude, then eonie oi the ooree thould logically bo eotiyoead at ehryootHe. It haa raoently been suggested that the prevalence of ferruginous ('eebeetoe") bodiee in the lunge of city dwellers'not occupetionally exposed to eebeetoe waa largely dependent upon the method and diligence employed in eearching for the ferruginoua bodice.1 1110 reported prevalence of the positive cases was represented to range from 30% to 70% of the hospital deaths investigated; whereas, by digesting some of the lung dame, a 97% prevalence of lungs positive for ferrugi nous bodies was found among randomly selected autopded hospital patients in Pitts burgh.1 Ferruginous bodies, which are indistin guishable from those produced by asbestos dust, were recently demonstrated in lungs of hamsters injected intratracfaeally with Submitted lor publication Fab 39, 1969: accepted March 17. From the Industrial Hyfiane Foundation at Amer ica, Inc (Die. Cram and delYeville). and the Melkm Institute <Mr. Hallar). Pittsburgh. Raprint raquaata to Industrial HyfiaDe Fwndatim at America, fee* 5331 Centra Ava, PitUfcurjh 15233 (Dr. daTkeviUa). Arch Environ Health--\'ol 19, Aug 1969 DOW 06860 187 STOOII578 fibrous dusts other than those of asbestos.1 In view of this demonstration, it would seem proper to ask whether the `'asbestos" bodies found in city dwellers have been evoked by the inhalation of asbestos dust or the inhalation of fibrous dust of other compositions.* .Based on the assumption that there is a substantial contamination of urban air by asbestos dust, it has been suggested that the source of such dust is from the brake lining of automobiles, the weathering of asbestos cement products (shingles and tiles), as well as from insulation used in the building construction industry.4 Inasmuch as 80% or more of the asbestos used in the United States is chrysotile,* end since very little of other types of asbestos is used in the above-named products, the major compo nent of the asbestos dust that is assumed to contaminate urban air would logically be chrysotile. Since there are no grounds for believing that asbestos bodies develop with greater difficulty around chrysotile fibers than around the fibers of other types of asbestos that may be inhaled, it would be reasonable to expect the vast majority of ferruginous bodies in the lungs of nonoccupationally exposed city people to have a central core of chrysotile--if the ferrugi nous bodies are indeed asbestos bodies. Inasmuch as chrysotile fibers appear to be hollow in the electron microscope,* these may sometimes be identified by inspection. Furthermore, because of its hollow struc ture, chrysotile has a unique and readily identifiable diffraction pattern.1 Because chrysotile lends itself so readily to positive identification by electron microscopy, we undertook a study of the central cores of ferruginous bodies derived from lungs of people of Pittsburgh not occupationally ex posed to asbestos. We are here reporting the results of our study. Methods and Materials Ferruginous bodies isolated from the lunp of 28 people1 were placed upon electron micro scope grids by means of a micromanipulator. In the electron microacope, it became necessary to find a suitable fiber area on the ferruginous body that was free of electron-opaque encrusta tion (possibly ferritin) which would have inter fered with the study of the core. Work with "standard" samples of chrysotile, amosite, and crocidolite showed that useful diffraction pat terns could be obtained from fiber areas as small as 600 X 600 Angstrom, and as large as 5.000 X 5,000 A. All bodies examined had fiber areas suitable for such study. The bodies had to be manipulated in such a way as to yield their characteristic electron diffraction patterns, so that measurements of interplanar crystal lattice spacing* could be made. Typical "layer line" diffraction patterns are obtained if the fiber axis is perpendicular to the electron beam. Ferruginous bodies isolated from the lunp of hamsters lulled 12 months after an intratra cheal injection of 25 mg of brake-drum dust (iron-free) were similarly placed upon electron microscope grids, and electron diffraction pat terns were obtained of the central filaments. ,Results None of the cores of the 26 ferruginous bodies showed the hollow, tubular structure characteristic of chrysotile. Measurements of the diffraction patterns obtained (to an accuracy of 1%) on each of the cores of these bodies from human lungs showed that none of the fibers examined were identifiable as one of the three forms of asbestos cited above. In particular, chrysotile could be excluded as being involved in the formation Arch Environ Health--Vol 19, Aug 1999 DOW 06861 ST0011578 1M PULMONARY FERRUGINOUS BODIES-GROSS ET AL of the ferruginous hnHian On the other must be concluded that the fiber is crystal- hand, the central filament of the ferruginous lino, but identification must await further bodies isolated from hamster limp injected electron diffraction information and possi with brake-drum dust yielded electron dif bly electron microprobe measurements. Its fraction patterns characteristic of chryso- crystalline diffraction pattern effectively tile. rules out fibrous glsa^ glass wool, end other vitreous materials in this sample which Comment have been shown experimentally to be capa ble of producing ferruginous bodies.' Although we have failed to identify the A recent analysis, utilizing an electron fibers that caused the population of ferrugi microscope, of tbs central fiber of asbestos nous bodies in people not occupationally bodies removed from lunp of people who exposed to asbestos, we have decisively ex had worked in s Flushing (Netherlands) cluded chrysotile. This exclusion is highly shipyard, led to the conclusion that these significant in view of the fact that if asbes cores were composed of amphibole tos dust were the contaminant in urban air asbestos.* This might have been expected responsible for the formation of these since crotidolite and amosits have long bodies, chrysotile would be the most promi been the predominant types of asbestos nent constituent of the cores and should be used in the shipbuilding industry. However, identifiable in some of the ferruginous the relevance, if any, of this finding to the bodies recovered from the lunp of these ferruginous bodies found in the limp of people, particularly since we have demon urban dwellers, not occupationally exposed strated that the cores of ferruginous bodies to would appear to be doubtful. resulting from intratracheal injections of brake-drum dust were composed of chrysotile. From the fact that the central fibers of the ferruginous bodies examined demon strate an electron diffraction pattern, it This investigation * wppertad fat part by Public Health Service raeaarch pant PHHtSlH. National Cater foe Urban and IndusMal Health, and pant FR 06680 fawn the National Inatituta of Health. Michael D. Utidjian. MD, Departnumt at Epide miology, University of PitWburgh Graduate Srhrinl of Public Health. iaoUtad the ferruginoua badias and tranriwnd Siam to electron miaueoope gride 1. Utidjian, M.D.; Groan P.; and daTravilla, R.T.P.: Ferruginous Bodiaa in Human Lungs: Prev- aience at Random Autopaian Arch Environ Health 17:327-333 (Sapt) 1968. 2. Groan P., at al: Pulmonary Ferruginoua Bodiaa* Development in Raapanae to Filamentous Dusts and a Method of Isolation and Omantiebon, Arch Path 86:539-548 (May) 1968. 3. Crmllay, U., at al: Source and Identification at Ra^irable Fibers, AJHA J 29:129-136 (May-April) 1968. 4. Thomson, JO, at al: Aabaatea aa Modem Urban Haxank. S Afr Med J 37:77-81. 1983. 6. Roaatn D.V.: Asbestos- lit Industrial Applica tions, New York: Reinhold Publishing Carp.. 1959, Pt6. Rica. R.V.: Maaw. M.; and Klug. RP . Chryso- tila Morphology, Amor Min 46480-688. I960. 7. Ziwaan. J, and Brindby, G.W.: Election Diibactkm Studiaa of Swpsntine Minwak, Amm Min 43:133-163, 1967. 8. Gaanakr, EA, and Addington, W.W.: Currant Concepts: Aafaaatoa or Farruginoiis Bodiaa. Nra Eng J Med 387:488-192 (Fab 27) 1969. 9. Stumphiun J- and Mayer. P.B.: Ashastoa Bodiaa and Maaothalioma. Ann Oecup ffyg 11283- 293 (Oct) 1968. S T 0 0 I1579 Arch Environ Health--Vol 19, Aug 1989 Pnrtea era Pubtisfiea tr the Uritea States at Amenes DOW 06862