title: Pulmonary asbestos and non-asbestos fiber concentrations in autopsied inhabitants in Pohang, Korea.
abstract: To establish reference values for pulmonary asbestos and non-asbestos fiber concentrations in rural Korean residents, and their comparison with those of urban Korean residents and the Japanese, autopsied lung samples from 22 subjects (20 males and 2 females), in Pohang, without known occupational asbestos exposure histories, were analyzed for asbestos and non-asbestos fibers, using transmission electron microscope equipped with an energy dispersive X-ray analyzer. Chrysotile was the major fiber type found in the lungs of the subjects. The residents in Pohang had significantly lower asbestos and non-asbestos fiber concentrations than the Korean urban residents. The Koreans had significantly lower asbestos and non-asbestos fiber concentrations than the Japanese.
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, Dongguk University, 707 Sukjang-dong, Gyeongju-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do 780-714, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Hyun-Sul
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: Ji Yong
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Kiyoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sakai
authors.forename: Naomi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hisanaga
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001194:Asbestos / Q000032:analysis*; D001344:Autopsy; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D007723:Korea; D008168:Lung / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019016:Mineral Fibers / Q000032:analysis*; D012424:Rural Population; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D014505:Urban Population
chemical_list: D019016:Mineral Fibers; D001194:Asbestos