It’s well established that mesothelioma is caused by asbestos exposure, but there has long been a question as to whether there is a certain level of exposure needed for the rare and aggressive form of cancer to develop. An article published in the journal Frontiers in Public Health reports on the results of a study examining outcomes of exposure levels to different types of asbestos. In analyzing whether a threshold amount of asbestos fibers could be identified for each type, the authors hoped to improve how asbestos safety standards and risk assessments are determined.
Understanding Mesothelioma Risk Levels
Researchers in the fields of occupational safety and geology have been working together to improve understanding of how mineral particles impact human health, and the question of how asbestos exposure leads to mesothelioma, and how much asbestos is needed for the deadly form of cancer to develop, is one of the prime questions they want to answer.
A group of researchers from Gradient, in Boston, Massachusetts, Chemistry & Industrial Hygiene, Inc., of Lakewood, Colorado, and the Department of Geology, at the University of Maryland, in College Park, Maryland have identified specific “threshold” levels of asbestos exposure below which mesothelioma risk is no higher than it is for normal background rates. To accomplish this, they examined different types of asbestos fibers found in occupational settings and compared the levels of exposure to the number of mesothelioma cases diagnosed.
Different Mesothelioma Thresholds for Different Types of Asbestos
By analyzing multiple worker studies and applying various statistical models to their data, the researchers were able to identify specific fiber characteristics that make some asbestos types more likely to lead to a mesothelioma diagnosis than others, including the minerals’ fiber width, length, and rigidity. They also found that different types of asbestos had different threshold levels, with chrysotile (white asbestos) showing a threshold around 90 fiber-years per cubic centimeter, while amphibole fibers, known to be more dangerous, like those of crocidolite asbestos, had much lower thresholds at 0.25 fiber-years per cubic centimeter.
How mesothelioma develops remains a mystery, but recent studies point to a combination of biological events, including tissue inflammation, cell survival, and the release of specific proteins that suppress the immune system. The occupational health researchers developed a model showing that these biological processes may not occur at low exposure levels, suggesting that the body’s natural defense mechanisms can handle small amounts of asbestos exposure without triggering cancer development.
Understanding how asbestos exposure leads to mesothelioma will help create more effective safety guidelines for workers and the general public. If you’ve been diagnosed with mesothelioma or another asbestos-related disease after being exposed to the toxic material, contact the Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net at 1-800-692-8608 for help.
