MALIGNANT MESOTHELIOMA IN THERMOELECTRIC-POWER PLANT WORKERS IN ITALY

Asbestos has been widely used in Italian thermoelectric power plants a nd instances of exposure to workers have been documented in a variety of jobs. Preventive measures were put into effect only in the late 197 0s. We report here on four mesothelioma cases among workers of three I talian power plants where cohort studies were carried out, and on thre e additional cases recorded by a systematic survey carried out on this neoplasm in Tuscany. When the data of the cohorts sources are merged, a significant excess of lung cancer is also evident. Even without a q uantitative assessment of exposure, this report shows the importance o f asbestos risk in thermal power plants. The risk appears not to be re stricted to any particular category of workers. (C) 1995 Wiley-Liss, I nc.