title: Pleuropulmonary disease among asbestos workers in relation to smoking and type of exposure.
abstract: The chest roentgenograms of employees aged 40 and over in two asbestos manufacturing plants were read by consensus without knowledge of the plant or smoking habits. Plant A used only chrysotile asbestos throughout its history and Plant B used amosite as well as chrysotile, the amosite being limited to the period 1950-64. The prevalence of pulmonary disease was 25% in Plant A and 33% in Plant B. The prevalence of pleural thickening was 18% in Plant A and 35% in Plant B. Neither age nor work duration were factors in these differences. In Plant A there was no obvious relationship between smoking and pleuropulmonary disease. In Plant B there was a definite relationship of smoking to pulmonary disease and perhaps to pleural thickening. Both type of asbestos and smoking habits appear to be determinants of pleuropulmonary disease in asbestos workers.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001195:Asbestosis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D004651:Employment; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012907:Smoking; D013997:Time Factors