title: Observations on environmental asbestos exposure in a high risk area.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Environmental asbestos exposure is causally associated with various pulmonary pathologies. In Turkey, one of the most important sources of asbestos exposure is dust originating from the walls of homes whitewashed with white stucco. The main asbestos types implicated are tremolite and, to a lesser extent, chrysotile. This study investigated the presence and effect of environmental asbestos exposure in a small village in Isparta, Turkey.
  
  
  METHODS
  Samples of asbestos mine ore, whitewashed plaster from the interior walls of the houses and whitesoil from the outside walls of the houses were analysed. Chest radiographs of 132 villagers aged 30 years and over and living in the village during the study were obtained. Verbal histories from the relatives of people who had died from lung cancer or mesothelioma and hospital records contributed 13 cases to the study population, giving a total of 145 cases under study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Chrysotile fibres were found in the old asbestos mine sample, and zeolite in the whitesoil sample from the outside walls. Abnormal CXR were found in 19 subjects (14. 4%), the most common being pleural calcifications and/or pleural plaques (n = 14, 10.6%). A further five subjects with pleural calcifications and/or pleural plaques were identified from verbal autopsy and hospital records. Malignant pleural mesothelioma was present in one living subject and four of the deaths. A possible familial clustering of lung cancer and malignant mesothelioma was noted.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  While tremolite asbestos is the asbestos found in most white soil in Turkey, in this village chrysotile asbestos was found in the white soil. Familial clustering may indicate genetic susceptibility or increased environmental exposure in some families.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonary Diseases, Faculty of Süleyman Demirel University, Isparta, Turkey. drunsahin@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Unal
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Sahin
authors.forename: Onder
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ozturk
authors.forename: Necla
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Songur
authors.forename: Ahmet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bircan
authors.forename: Ahmet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Akkaya
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001194:Asbestos / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000032:analysis; D001195:Asbestosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics; D002273:Carcinogens; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D008654:Mesothelioma / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics; D008875:Middle Aged; D010375:Pedigree; D012307:Risk Factors; D012987:Soil / Q000032:analysis; D014421:Turkey
chemical_list: D002273:Carcinogens; D012987:Soil; D001194:Asbestos