title: Pleural plaque related to asbestos mining in Taiwan.
abstract: A 78-year-old woman complained of twisting-like pain in her left lower chest. During physical examination, friction rubbing was noted in both lungs. Chest radiography showed extensive bilateral pleural calcification. High-resolution computed tomography confirmed the presence of bilateral calcified pleural plaques. The patient had worked at a Japanese asbestos factory in Taiwan for 1 year when she was 16 years old. Her job involved picking out asbestos fibers from crushed asbestos minerals, but no protective equipment was used at that time. This is believed to be the first reported case of asbestos-related disease in Taiwan that resulted from asbestos mining. We also summarize the history of domestic asbestos mining, importation of asbestos, and trends in asbestos use in Taiwan.
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational Medicine, Buddhist Tzu Chi General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Hsiao-Yu
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Jung-Der
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Pau-Chung
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Jen-Jyh
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001194:Asbestos / Q000009:adverse effects; D001195:Asbestosis / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D002637:Chest Pain / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019016:Mineral Fibers; D008906:Mining; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D010994:Pleura / Q000473:pathology*; D010998:Pleurisy / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests; D012134:Respiratory Protective Devices / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013624:Taiwan; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D019016:Mineral Fibers; D001194:Asbestos