title: Mesothelioma incidence in the neighbourhood of an asbestos-cement plant located in a national priority contaminated site.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  An epidemic of asbestos-related disease is ongoing in most industrialized countries, mainly attributable to past occupational exposure but partly due to environmental exposure. In this perspective, the incidence of pleural mesothelioma close to a former asbestos-cement plant in a national contaminated site was estimated.
  
  
  METHODS
  The census-tracts interested by atmospheric dispersion of facilities in the contaminated site were identified. Two subareas with different estimated environmental asbestos impact were distinguished. An ecological study at micro-geographic level was performed. The standardized incidence ratios (SIR) for study area and the two subareas, in comparison with region and municipality were computed. The standardized incidence rate ratio (IRR) between the two subareas was computed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mesothelioma incidence in the study area was increased: 46 cases were observed with respect to 22.23 expected (SIR: 2.02). The increase was confirmed in analysis considering only the subjects without an occupationally exposure to asbestos: 19 cases among men (SIR = 2.48; 95% CI: 1.49-3.88); 11 case among women (SIR = 1.34; 95% CI: 0.67-2.40). The IRR between the two subareas is less than one in overall population considering all age-classes and of 3 fold (IRR = 3.14, 95% CI: 0.65-9.17) in the age-classes below 55 years.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings indicate an increased incidence of pleural mesothelioma in the neighbourhood of asbestos-cement plant, and a possible etiological contribution of asbestos environmental exposure in detected risks.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Ambiente e Connessa Prevenzione Primaria, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.E-mail: lucia.fazzo@iss.it.
authors.forename: Lucia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fazzo
authors.forename: Simona
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Menegozzo
authors.forename: Maria Eleonora
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Soggiu
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: De Santis
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Santoro
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Cozza
authors.forename: Amelia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Brangi
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Menegozzo
authors.forename: Pietro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Comba
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D001194:Asbestos; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D004787:Environmental Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007221:Industry; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008654:Mesothelioma / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010997:Pleural Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012737:Sex Factors
chemical_list: D001194:Asbestos