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Wrrniag Incidence of Silicosis op Rond. 5, Africa Mia. * Eng. J., 50, o'Ju-h fY~".ury 27, 1940). (\ri tishl. Til'1 is an abstract of the report on the wort of the Miners' Phthisis Mecll-ul gu-fjuu for the three year period ending July 31, 1938. The rato of tnciaam-p of silicosis hnj fallen to a new low reoord; howevor, there is a marked pn/risoito l.icrunse in incldenoo with increase in duration of service, also with i increase in tha rjeount of time spent in machine drilling, a modificatior the oystwn of periodical >oaa1 nation is urgod. petoption of Sillca-Cont^lnine Dust in Lung Tia:mea by M^ena of fluo-escor e Ulcroacopy. M. Obordal)*off. Arch. Gevertiepctly 4 Gewerbefcyg., 9, 435-142 |1939). Abstracted in Brit. Chan. 4 Physiol.,, p. 150 (PotrunryjiD-940). quartz and other mineral dusts show chcractoristic fluorescence 'colors urdor ultrc-riolct light v.-tnn treated with fluorchrcmes, especially aursaine, joc then washed with water. Quartz dust cm be detected similarly in silicotic lung tissues provided that the specimen ie first treated with olcohol-ethor to ranove the covering of fat on the quartz particles. An X-rny Study of the Imy.s of Workmen In the Asbestos Industry, Cohering a period of Ten Ya<js. A.Wl Goorno and R.D. Locnnrd. Rsliulogy 33, 196-202 (192&1 A discussion of the expesuro to asbestos in the manufacture of brake linin3s. In 1928 and 1929, 12 workers with symptens of acbootocis wore retired on~conponastion and woro followed for 7 rears. In 1933, 800 employees from the some plant wore x-rayod end three found to have odvoncod osboatoeis. When the plant closed, 90 man sued for eoaponafticn and tho authors giro a discussion of the trial "f 3C cases. During the trial, the 12 sum retired 8 or 9 years beforo were produco 1. All but the woman wore performing laborious work, and no prngrutc of the lung condition was apparent. There is a description of the x-ruy appear once of astost&sis and the action of the dust on the lung. The authors consider that "the fibor is innocent of producing any pathologic disturbance excopt rn lnpodnnca to the air in this region of the lung." Pleuritic changes are al.;o soon -- adhesions and obliteration of the costophronic angles. Baphysemn and clianges in the heart contour are other sic&s. No cases complicatoe by tubercu losis were found. X-ray will show asbostos in the lungs whon there is onough to cause symptoms. The f.-antgcnoloidc Aspects of Bronchomycosis. H.P. Doub. Radiology, 34, 267-275 (March, 1940). The oigne end symptoms of the bronchomycoses are similar to those of tuborculooie an- often they are at first thought to bo tuberculous in origin. Whenever tto history or x-ray changes are atypical of tuberculosis, the sputua siiould be xanined micrcscopicelly and also culturod ropoetedly, so that these cases may nu be truutod as tuberculous. In oarly stagos, these patients appease to have a nil! bronchitis with some expectoration; later they dovelop many of the Ji^.ns and symptoms and even the compel cat ions of tuberculosis. The final diagn^ .is rogts on the discovery and identification of tho offending organism. The roentgen changes aro suggestive of a differential diagnosis in some instances but usually only suggsut the presence of a fungous infection. The author des cribes ioT4o of the mcru prominent roentgen signs of the various bronchomycoaeo. luuo-' ,tffoe tod by QcLqv Dust. H. Otto. Arch. Geworbepath. 4 Geworbahyg., 9_, 4^7-^95 (1939). (G:rm-in). Abstracted in Brit. Chem. 4 Phyuiol., p. 159 (Fuhrur.ry, 1940). The harmful constituents of ochre npponr to be iron oxides and silica. X-ruy fiiidngs in ochre-offoctod lungs and pathological anatomy of iron-offectod lungs ijo described. g laduatrial Hygiaoa - 18. F.fHF- :yto8l of foreign Materiel In the Lung. O.II. Robertson. Physiol. Rev., [2-39 (Januaryj 1941). ithor reviews the modes of entrance, distribution sad disposition of for- ,a material In tbs respiratory tract. first, tbs progress of foreign particles tbs lung is lapeded by tbsslanous course of tbs nasal passages, tbs sticky L^ous character of tbs surface* aotlan of tbs cilia of the membrane and tbs |^b reflex. Disposition of tbs saterlal that has entered the terminal respir- Jfory vnits is less staple. Tbs principal method is by phagocytosis by amebic i^is. ths type of call employed depending upon the character of the foreign tter. Beetaria such as the pseimocoocus are handled by the polymi&phonuclear ^ocoeytes, which appear in great ambers. However, with miaaral the ^fge macrophage normally present in the region goes into notion. They quickly 0gulf silloa dust partiolee sad carry them rapidly to lymph vessels and lymphoid gitue* On occasion the amebic cell degenerates, leering the silica free in the prenchymal tissue. With asbestos, the process is eemowhat different on account Jtho large site of the dust fiber* Macrophages accumulate around the fiber 0/1 form giant ealla in which the so-called asbestosls bodies appear. Inasmuch 0 the lung appears to act as a filter for foreign material Injected intraven- lUily, it has been suggested that the pulmonary capillary endothelium carries on j^gocytic activity. The evidence, however, ia to the contrary. The same is gue of the cells lining the tracheo-bronohlal tree. A bibliography of 155 re ferences is Included. ubestosis in Grinders and Drillers of Brake Bands. Brachmaan. Arbeitsschutz, JTl?2-d (1940). (6ermaaJ* inks bands axo made of sheets of asbestos, or are proesed out of asbestos gate products and a filler, impregnated with artificial resin. Afterwards the bends and plates are ground and drilled. In Saxony all workers in asbestos plants must be exnminod annually. Clinical and x-ray examination of the grind ers, drillers and men who fils individual pieces has shown a few light cases of nbaatosis after S years' work, and in nearly all such workers after 5 yoars ployment. fta Struggle Against Asbestosls Today. Xhrhardt. Arbeitsschutz. pp. 191-3 (1940). (German). The paper la a briaf description of asbestosls, rather than an aocount of the struggle against it. The author states that no relationship was found between msal dust filtering ability and degree of asbestosls. jktbods cf Avoiding tbo Dust Danger in Asbestos Plants. Valid from August 1, m Antnymous. Arboitsschutz7 pp. 863-5 tl940). (German). The aew regulations concerning exhaust systems, established by tbo manufacturers, Insurance association and Oezman factory lnapoctora, are describod. The effi ciency of the systems must be tested by a representative of the insurance isaociatlon. jbeulatlon to Change the Regulation Regarding Manufacture of Class. Grinding, ftchina. Painting. Class Containers and Related Industries. Dated September 13, 1940. Anonymous. Arbsltaachutt. P. 863 (1940). (German). Ths German regulations prescribe that x-ray examinations be made of all workers ployed at certain jobs in rooms where glass containers or refractory materials ui produced or where sandblasting is oonducted. The examinations are repeated crory second yoar. All persons engaged in producing lead-containing mixtures or using lead colors are to be examined at least every 6 months. t of Industrial Hygiene - 5. clinical Studies In Asbestosls. M. J. Stone, an. Rot. Tubero., 41, 1&-21 (January 1940^. till* report la baaed upon examination of 130 persons fomorly amployed in th.' opening, carding, spinning and weaving departments of an aah&gfros brake lining. plant. Of the entire croup, all of vhioh ware litigants for compensation, 3;. ^re diagnoaod as having no asbestosls; 146 were thought to have same degree 0f pulmonary involvement, grouped in threo stages, on the following basis: Stage I, slightly increased lung Barkings with a chest expansion 1initod to loac than 2 inches; Stage II, deflnlto x-ray evidence of pulmonary fibrosis and def inite symptoms; Stage III, marked pulmonary involvement by x-ray with well-nark- ad symptoms. Details regarding the relationship betwo an dura^on of oxpooure and degree of x-ray change 02*0 gives on 166 of theae oases and are shown in the aooouponylng table. Hrposure Total X-Roy Irldanoa of Asbestoaia Period XXDOSOd 0 Stage 1 Stone II Stage III *1 1 i Under 4 yoara 47 53.2 6.0 17.0 0 4-9 yr. 56 0 64. 21.4 14.2 10-15 40 0 33.0 50.0 15.0 Over 15" es 0 36.0 56.0 8.0 Average &a>>ur* 8 yre. 10 yrs. 11 yrs. jvi dance of tuberculosis wns found in 9 (S) of the films of the total 180 eases; In only two wnsthe lnfoction active at the time of the initial examina tion. One case occurred in Stage II and the other in Stago III. After raonsureBonts of the heart shadows it was concluded that asbostosls was particularly prone to produce secondary changes in tho heart and porieardlum and that "the dyspnea noted in this diseaso is of cardiac or circulatory rather than pulmon ary origin." Thirteen of the3c patients were re-oxnmined 2 or 3 years later and the changou in the advanced cases soomed more marked but no change in the Stage I and Stago II type. Blood studies seemed to rule out the possibility of associated infections. Since the first examination 16 patients have dlod; 3 of pulmonary tuberculosis, 5 of broncho-pneumonia, 2 of lobar pneuoonia, 2 of heart disease nod the roat of various causes. Seventeen wore chronic invalids ocmplalning of cough and dyspnea. S. iir-Bomo Matter. H.L.M. Laroonbe. Indus. Chasist, 15, 177-8 (October, 1939); 579-82 (November, 1939); and 440-443 (Docomber, 1939). (British). This is a review of the fundamental characteristics of air-borne matter which 1st be set down before any detailed research can be made in any particular branch: origins of air-borne matter; measurement of particle size; character istic dimensions; laws of the behavior of air-bomo matter; dusts; Stokes' L.v;; fumes; aaokea; oloetric characteristics; gravitation; filtration; electrostatic precipitation; and dust explosions. Thero is olso a discussion of inflanuablo dusts; the effect of alr-bome matter on health; kinds of dust; silicosis; and ths importance of ventilation. Methods of Rock Dusting American Coal Minas. J. J, fortes, U.S. Bureau of Mines Rapt. Invoat., #3465 (1939). Ths nvnber and percentage of rock dusted minos is slowly Increasing; indica tions are that the large producer* are taking the most precautions. An average cost of rock dusting for protection against explosions in 28 mines is just under 1 coat per ton of coal mined. A survey of rook dusting practice shows the teed of more adequate law* for end supervision of the extent and methods uf this kind of prevention. P-IH p. 3^7. Iw n m m a o r l%^nroirriA'L R v m .ahcm P IT T H B U H O H , lA . 1 t* ,,r / v.d S. D. 1 u r,* 1 1- .............................. J_ /w _ V of thi, 1' re. of n in tho c.3Cestoa ii Ju :r. ' . c o*a *c^ Radiol. v* 196-2C'.' ._. ! '. ! ,,,tUct A discuaeion of tM f?c:rr' f A C a JIH ' " 22 | aj Apr' t 1 _J,5 in ibo Ltanufacture of brak^. ,UgiBS_*. In 132fc> and IS" y, 112 . '-I'a cyicptbjss of Mbeetnaiy v.ere retiruc on conporDation and :::sq fcllc :.> for i ye-j.ru. In 1933,-000 coployos from the aarae plant rrera x-rrv^d and tic u. fovnd bwa r.draneod asbetrtosie. w'hcn the plant oloGcd, 90 tnen mad for conineu-M-. ion -nd tho authors gi7# a di ecussior. of th trial of 30 oasaa. i>uria? tha trir.l, tho 12 tuanT'afTrad 0 or 9 years before era produced. All tut the mann v/erc " rxenirs laborious work, and no prog- reaa of tha lung condition wn.3 apparent. Thoro is a description of the xwey appearance of asbestosis and tho tetien of tho dust on the lung. d'fco antixsrs con aider that "the fiber ia innocent cf rnrcdu.ing any pathologic disturbance except an irpelaace to tha air In thio r ujion of tho lung". Pleuritic changes are also seen -- adhesions and obliteration of the ooatophranio angles, Baphy- eaeta and oha.-ges in the heart oun*:our rro other sij^i 0. Kb cases complicated by tuberculosis wore found. X-rry will ctow asbestos in the lungs when there it enough to ecase symptoms. f0XAATWC lWtQ. y ? S K . JIH PVPPOit op acAcH> AlftVACT Pt,AJ* POP PCMCPAL UPC COHT'0,. ct>(rno pueveer 6/70 PCUWOWPMIP MVMPCP .............. ___________________________________ rite numiii * 752 AMT>*OP: M.A. Gerber Asbestosis and Neoplastic Disorders of Hematopoietic System *AJ PF*. Am. 7.~Cl7ru Jla.th.plj,208. ACPTPACT. VOC. . OATC APPTP. Ptrp.i VOC. PT. PATS f53* p204 ~TFeb! 1 J.~Anu~Med. Assn. " 2nl 1560 March 2* .1970I______________________ ... 1970 _ _ Five cases of asbestosis associated with tumors of the hematopoietic system In a series of 35 cases of asbestosis proved by autopsy are reported. Two were cases of multiple myeloma, two were yeloproliferatlve disorders and Included a case associated with reticulum cell sarcoma, and there was one case of Waldenstrom's macroglobulInemia. The Incidence of this association is significantly higher than the overall incidence of such disorders In the corresponding age group of patient* without asbestosis. --J. Am. Med. Assn. References and Reviews rvuroot or acmi -rimrroreir >or p.IHF*. S3 ,'tgpsi .-a;e 10-77 N urn be r w'o M l'. I.pwincnhn -- rv Asbestosis -- A diagnostic enigma Ml* VO'` ** OAT* ij P .opup4. Med._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ U_ _ _ _ _ _ _ 6Q7-610 SfipU71 - ir 1 5 refs- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - p-ihF,*; m .... Oi. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - --- - - - - - - - - - - - - ** 0*T| j '.J though the carcinogenic properties of asbestos are presentiyx-attracting a good deal of > .. 'attention, asbestosis is still the earliest lung disease resulting frontjxposure to it and its 'Jtincidence in an exposed population is the most useful indicator of the degree of dust control ^exercised over a period of time. The diagnosis of asbestosis depends upon: (1) An adequate ''occupational exposure history. (2) Physical signs of pulmonary fibrosis. (3) Progressive radiological changes. (-4) Confirmatory measurements of altered lung function. Asbestosis is a t'clinical entity and is readily diagnosed when all the above-mentioned criteria are met. ' Problems in diagnosis are encountered when one or more of the diagnostic criteria listed above cannot be substantiated. At the present time every effort is made to diagnose the disease in its early stages in the hope that removal from further exposure will prevent the direct and indirect .'t complications. MIU Hn rut auKia if67 FC 751 Mvntom J. Lieben_______________________________ t.tlj. Malignancies in Asbestos Workers. '4 vf C OMta. im.1 6 Arch. Environ. -I* Health E vOi m 13 619 621 tin Nov.166 Atm mtm. c 4T1 , lw plant included 21 W* A,b**toa textllf organ*. Eighteen ,f the patient. had expo.ure, to a.bestT. In th* friction mat-rial. of othe r a period of 1 0 to 36 year.. Only throe o.tient. hJtu r du.t controi mea.ure. have heel in,^^.^' h*lr occuPatlonal environment lor ^e^. E -- r Author', summary *tul i i/6K EC p. E. L ntc r 1 i re V,i' ' r` u ,' rv ''1CK- ,_ ,MI.; I.v-vcls an<l Mortality. i A she st - Dus t r. :< |>< uf < ' ' - > ' 1 <,.,6 .r. _ '<><- ^ OAT` i , i( i.f OL /\rch. Environ. Hltifln ' I 8 i -1 8.6 Aug, I 9 07| '15 .... ! - ------- i *' . ___ A study was conducted 'm the -norlalilv rvpericrc up to ] i, I / J > u* r# of Z 1 , VS 5 whit t i r. *> j c a ir ' three asbestos products industries and comparisons were made with the mortality < xpe r. cnc . v 6 281 white males m an industry without asbestos dust exposures and with the mortality evper,ene. ot the entire L' S. white male population. An -leveled death rate for all cause. was found ml' c jmonc worker, in th asbestos textile industry, an industry which has probably had heavy -hrM..s dust exposures. Th- other two asbestos products Industrie i--asbestos build.ng products and rh |e asbestos friction mate rials --probably had c onsiderably lower levels of asbestos.dust exposure, Si and here death rates for all causes were below those experienced in all U.S white males, and >7. i| nearly identical to those among workers in the industry vntlu.ut asbestos-dust exposures. H is believed that asbestos-dust exposures mump workers in the asbestos building products industry F 7 ! tnd the asbestos friction materials industry greatly exceeded those in modern urban ronm.unit.es, and that the modest response of the worker, in these industries indicates that asbestos dusts at levels to which general population, are exposed probably is of lit_tle importances the etiology M of disease. There are 11 references. > Cond. from authors' summary 0*Tf IfiMihCO PoUr ftPOtC AiiTHAcr iia'nh rc* gcwchac 0N*T|fUllCUT r/n fa V J- ft Entirknap and W T ^.-nitkpr Peritoneal Tumours in Asbestosis, nfc HU ffvaftGi Brit. J. Ind. MecT" 21 ' "TO-31 Jan.'64 Eleven cases of dilluse abdominal tumors in association with exposure to asbestos were discovered in the years 1958 to 1963. There were 8 men and 3 women, all of whom h^d worked in the same factory. In 7 of the men the age at death ranged from 38 to 78 years; one man is still alive at the age of 46. The women died at 44, 61 , and 67. The survival time after the first exposure varied from 20 to 46 years. The shortest period of exposure was 10 months and the longest 32 years. All three of the main commercial types of asbestos had been involved in their working operations. Histological confirmation of the nature of the tumor has been obtained at necropsy in 9 of the 10 deceased and at biopsy in 6, including the survivor. A remarkable feature of these cases is the minimal fibrosis found in the lungs. In 3 men and one woman, asbestosis was not diagnosed during life, and no patient was completely disabled by pulmonary fibrosis. - -- Author:.' ..bit. k fc u o n n n rrm rrK , p m tra m to n , Pa p-ihF,: i 2/69 J. R. Lynch Brake Lining Decomposition Products i nfc 75J J. Air Poll. Control /issn,_ PO. Mn amt* rt 18 824-26 Dec. 19681 - -. _ . ,,, X................... .... m. ! . . y-v A numbtr of invettigatora Save found aabaatua bodies in the lungs of urJ*m* residents who were not occupationally exposed to asbestos. A relationship between the carcinogenic properties of asbestos and the urban excess of lung cancer has been suggested. The decompositiun products of brake linings have been described as a possible source of these fibers. Brake testing lab oratory methods were used to test fiber emission from a variety of friction products. Only a very small fraction of the asbestos escaped as free fiber while the remainder was transformed into some other, nonfibrous, mineral. A significant release of free fiber occurred only under conditions extreme enough to produce brake failure. There are 12 references. --Author1 s abst. DATS lllawll ciAsiinio lutjicr 5/71 eueeeec or (* ' ASOTSACT SIAM rom a<AL uet FYLlOwtMtP NUMICR 752 .ur-o j. r. Lynch, H. E. Ayer and D. L. Johnson. mtvs The Interrelationships of Selected Asbestos Exposure Indices. . . JAm.Ind.Hyg.Assn.J, 31|598l-604 Sept./Oct a ...1.19970 asst* acr* THE INTERRELATIONSHIPS OF SELECTED ASBESTOS EXPOSURE INDICES. J. R. Lynch, H. E. Ayer and D. L. Johnson. Am. Ind. Hyg. Asm*. J. 31: 598-604, Sept./Oct. 1970 Based on Lhe assumption that the biological effect of asbestos is related to the concentration =f fc? UI respirable fibers, an index was developed which yields the concentration in numbers of asbestos fibers II visible under 430x phase-contrast inclination. Data are presented relating this index to overall dustiness as measured by impinger counts and to absolute fiber concentration and distribution as /. ms J measured by electron microscopy. The relation between count estimates and gravimetric measures of total dust and chrysotile asbestos deduced from magnesium analyses are given for gross and respiratle ". 9i samples. These relations are developed for use in operations in the manufacture of asoestos textile, 4 friction, cement, and insulation products. The most convenient, practical, and direct index of asbestos i fiber exposure proved to be the concentration of fibers longer than 5 microns counted on membrane filters at 430'* phase-contrast Illumination. -*Authpry absi 0^ HAffCM D 1 g e s . Dale 6/73 E. Sartorelli qT aL Respiratory Physiopathology of Asbestosis Digest N um be r /: r t -------- eaio yj ______ Med. tavoro _ _*< IHTI Kiri. 269- Jul/Aug. J 281 1972 (Ital.) ___ **X"sYudy of the respiratory function was carried out in 724 male subjects c. r .i to inhalation of asbestos dust (workers of a mining companyiof chrysotile in Piedmont; insulators; workers engaged in the production of asbestos-cement, of asbestos textiles or of car brakes and friction clutch discs) r^In all subje the vital capacity, VEMSThd D^q at rest (steady state method) were determined. In some cases the residual volume was measured, the resistances of the airways (body plethysmography) , of respiratory dead space, of arterio-al-veolar COv gradient and also of D^qq at work on a cycloergometer. The subjects we? subdivided into 5 groups on the basis of the chest X-ray pattern (UICC claqueation Cincinnati): 1st group with X-ray pattern 0/0 or 0/1 and with asbestos exposure less than 10 years (average exposure 5.7 years); 2nd group with X-ray patterr. 0/0 or 0/1 and with asbestos exposure longer than 10 years (average expc e 21.2 years); 3rd group with X-rays 1/0 or 1/1; 4th group with X-rays 1/2, 2/1 or 2/2; 5th group with X-rays 2/3, 3/2 or 3/3. The results obtained can be summarized as follows. A ventilation insufficiency restrictive in type w: (over) observed in 5 .6% subjects of the 1st group , in 10.11 subjects of the 2mi gn >up and in 31.1%, 41.9% and 69.2% subjects of the 3rd , 4th and 5th group re^pt.r :. w ! % The finding of a ventilation insufficiency restrictive in type in a non-neglc percentage of subjects exposed to asbestos but with chest X-ray findings i.. or dubious, seems to indicate the existence in these cases of pulmonary lesions still not detectable radiologically, but that nonetheless have already determined a change in lung elasticity. A ventilatory insufficiency obstructive in tv: due to chronic bronchitis with or without lung emphysema, was observed m percentages varying from 11.2% to 24.2% according to the group considered. In subjects with a chest X-ray pattern diagnostic of a severe asbestosis, evident changes of the rate ventilation/perfusion (increased respiratory dead spac and a-A CO2 gradient) were often present. A reduction of at rest and/or at work, below the lowest normal limits (defined from the studjsjaf 91 normal male subjects), was observed in 4.6 to 6.4% subjects of the 1st group, in 9.6 to 19.2% subjects of the second group and in percentage higher than 20% (up to 100%) in the subjects of the 3rd. 4th, and 5th group. The finding of pathological values of D^q both at rest and at work, in a certain number of subjects exposed to asbestos, but with radiological changes or with X-ray changes insufficient for clear-cut diagnosis of asbestosis, indicated that the pulmonary lesions induced by asbestos can determine evident functional changes of the alveolar-capillary gas exchanges also in a pre-radiological phase. In conclusion, the study of the respiratory function in workers exposed to asbestos offers useful data not only for an evalua*. r 0! the functional damage present in the subjects with an asbestosis evident at X-rays, but also for an early diagnosis, and therefore for the prevention of asfcestotic pneumoconio sis. --Authors' abst. in English p -1 hf, - 303 Digest Date 6/73 Dice s t N um hr r 7'j'i In d u s tria l H U h T oond> U o b . W tt% M T|l\, t fift G.F. Rubino <:W Sc*nsjf; Epidemiological Studies on Asbestosis in the Asbestos Manufacture industry IMTI t*% Laworo 63 282- Jul./Aug. | 298 1972 (ItalJ) This study concerns 635 subjects exposed to the risk of asbestosis in the three principal manufacture sections of Piedmont: asbestos-cement, faction materir. for car brakes and clutches, textiles. About two thirds of the subjects examined had presented a claim for assessment of occupational disease, the remainder had been dismissed from the factories for different reasons. The clinical, radiolop -a! and functional data were analyzed both for sections and for decades of expose;c and for type of work: this last considered, for the sake of simplicity and in each section, as working phase, respectively initial, intermediate or final of the entire working cycle. The chest X-rays were classified according to the "extended'' neme of BIT (1968). More than one half of the cases presented a radiological type O * v O C1 "s". a little more than 10% a type "t", while about one third of the cases did not present radiological lung changes diagnostic for asbestosis. The time of exposure necessary for the appearance of opacities "s" or "t" was much shorter for the textile wor rs than for the workers of the other two sections. The same was true for the workers engaged in the initial working phases, compared to those engaged in the intermediate and final phases; moreover, for the same exposure time, the workers of the initial (ovci i  showed more diffuse pattern than the workers of the intermediate and especioi- ^0g final phases. The pleural alterations (thickening and pleural calcifications) were ^deted only in the subjects with no history of other diseases which can usually product [ leu! Pleural alterations were found in more than one fifth of all the cubjects mvesti fourth if one considered only the textile workers, where the incidence was highe. the appearance was wore precocious; an early occurrence was observed also for the subject.-, ged in the initial working phases in general. The most frequent change was the parietal gening, followed by the costo-phrenic obliteration, the diaphragmatic calcifications " jjetal calcifications. The first two types of change were prevalent in the workers c. Initial working phases, the calcifications in the workers of the final ones. The calcifications to be more related to the duration of exposure and to the time from^lrst exposure, the severity of exposure. As functional parameters, only the vital capacity and VE!\1C Lrcentages standard values established by CECA, were taken in-toTspnsideraticn. ^cularly a correlation has been observed between decreased parameters and working ^ and manufacture section; with similar X-ray patterns or duration of exposure, the jr$t$e was was significantly greater for workers of the initial phases, and respectively Lg textile workers. For the same type of radiological lesion, the lesser or greater degree pacity diffusion was paralleled both by vital capacity and by VEMS; the lesser or greater >0#jon was paralleled mostly by VEMS. The relative rarity of right heart impairment, *ast at ECG, was confirmed; only 2-3% cases showed a "pulmonale" P wave or changes .. .ght ^ventricular conduction. The importance and also the frequent occurrence of asbestosis amon kera of asbestos-cement is emphasized. Finally it is remarked that from the point of view of urance, the assessment of a compensable disablement seems often to prescind from the v or . ng ae in which the subject had been engaged; this is in contrast both with the logical expucimey rith the data presented, which on the contrary point to a progressive decrease of the ri^k the initial to the final phases of the working cycle. __Authorg. abst. in English ihf,- 2^