Pathophysiology in Relation to the Chemical and Physical Properties of Fibers (1978)

This was a talk given at a 1977 National Bureau of Standards workshop on asbestos. It reported no new study. The author gave a general overview, drawn mostly from laboratory animal research, of how fiber properties relate to asbestos disease. The author stated that fiber chemistry appeared to play only a minor role, if any, and that size and shape mainly decide where fibers lodge in the lung. According to the author, only fibers thinner than 3 microns and shorter than 200 microns mattered for a biological response in intact animals. The author's main 'axiom' was that fibers thicker than 3.5 microns and either longer than 200 microns or shorter than 5 microns have no biological effect. The author noted that Pott and Friedrichs had reported peritoneal mesothelioma in animals given fibers shorter than 2 microns, and called this a serious challenge to that concept. The author also stated that the data supported a no-effect level. The author listed fiber type and host factors as unresolved, and concluded that asbestos disease follows the principles of toxicology and carcinogenesis.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

From J-M's medical library

This copy comes from the Johns-Manville medical library. J-M listed it in its medical library index as no. 002784.

We publish this piece for research and commentary: it shows what the medical literature in a leading asbestos company's own library said on the subject, and when. Our summary above is our own reading of it. The copyright stays with the publisher.