Document KO1YM07Zy8MbknVZNj925Dbr
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20 to 100 M in length. The coating contains iron demonstrable
by Perle's stain (Prussian blue reaction), and probably
;
composed of ferritin or ferritin-like material; it may cover
the structure completely, masking the central fiber from direct
view, or may be incomplete in the central portion of the shaft
or in the interstices of the body, revealing an expanse of naked fiber.!
There is no doubt that the "asbestos bodies" formed in
the lungs of the asbestos workers contain asbestos. Stumphius
210
and Meyer
have investigated the composition of the "kernel"
in the "asbestos bodies" removed from deceased shipyard
workers (an occupational group with only indirect exposure).
They found by electron microscopy and X-ray microanalyses that
the "asbestos bodies" did indeed contain Borne minerals of
asbestos. Out of 27 fibers, 17 were classified as serpentine
(possibly chrysotile) and 10 as amphibole (possibly crocidolite).
But what about the so-called "asbestos bodies" in the lungs of
the general population? While these "asbestos bodies" probably
contain some asbestos, there is no experimental evidence to
date which shows what fractions contain asbestos or whether
they contain any asbestos at all.^'*^ This subject is
currently being debated by several investigators.53,79,209 ln
'
I
1 \
i
;
fact, some object to the use of the term "asbestos bodies" end
prefer to call them "ferruginous bodies." Moreover, Gross 79
et al,. have shown that "ferruginous bodies"---which appear
identical under the microscope to those formed from asbestos--
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