MESOTHELIOMA IN A COMMUNITY IN THE NORTH OF ENGLAND

Objectives - To find mesotheliomas in period 1966-94 and determine the ir relation to asbestos exposure, pathology, and mineral fibre burden within the lungs of affected subjects. Methods - Cases were entered in to the study if the subject had been diagnosed with mesothelioma after postmortem and histopathological examinations. Occupational data were obtained mainly from the case records of the Cape Asbestos medical of ficer, hospital, and medical practitioner and from death certificates. Analyses of the mineral fibres were performed with transmission elect ron microscopy and energy dispersive x ray spectrometry. Results - 73 mesotheliomas were diagnosed from 1966 to 1994. Forty four were associ ated with exposure at the Acre Mill factory, which manufactured asbest os products. Concentrations of amphibole asbestos fibres were found to be raised above controls in 31 out of 32 cases associated with Acre M ill exposure, in 10 out of 12 other cases exposed to asbestos and eigh t out of 17 cases not exposed to asbestos. Conclusions - There was a h igh number of mesotheliomas in Calderdale. More than half of the cases were associated with occupation at the Acre Mill factory and were ass ociated with exposure to amphibole asbestos, predominantly crocidolite . No cases associated with neighbourhood exposure to asbestos were ide ntified.