The effect of past exposure to asbestos on natural killer (NK) cell number
and activity is uncertain. We measured NK cell number and activity in 1052
retired asbestos workers without symptomatic lung disease, lung cancer, or
mesothelioma and with a long latency period from exposure; results were com
pared with those for 100 healthy age-matched controls. The exposed workers
showed a decreased NK cell activity and increased NK cell number, yielding
a 10.8 higher odds ratio for low NK activity per cell compared with control
s (95% confidence interval 6.4 to 18.4), which was due to both a decrease i
n NK cell activity and an increase in NK cell number. Asbestos exposure of
10 years or more increased the risk of low NK activity per cell. We conclud
e that exposure to asbestos is associated with diminished effectiveness of
NK cells and a concomitant increase in the number of NK circulating cells.