Mesothelioma, Asbestos Exposures to Women
The death rate from mesothelioma increased with cumulative asbestos exposure and with increasing length of residence in a town that had an asbestos mine.
CRAWLEY, AUSTRALIA — March 16, 2007 — Men exposed to blue asbestos (crocidolite) may be more likely to develop mesothelioma than women who are exposed to the substance, according to an Australian report. Researchers studied the medical histories of 4,786 residents of Wittenoom in Western Australia. Although they never worked in the town’s asbestos mine, these study participants were exposed to asbestos tailings and airborne asbestos when the mine was operated by the Australian Blue Asbestos Company between 1943 and 1966. The asbestos tailings were used to pave roads, parking areas, the school playground and a race course and were spread on the yards of houses to suppress red dust. Mine workers also came home in asbestos–laden clothes, according to the report.
By 2002, 36 men and 31 women in the study developed mesothelioma, including 64 who died from the disease. The death rate from mesothelioma increased with increasing length of residence and cumulative asbestos exposure and was lower for women than for men. After adjustments were made for cumulative asbestos exposure and age, men had four times the rate of mesothelioma compared to that for women. Among the women with mesothelioma, most had lived with men who worked for the Australian Blue Asbestos Company.
The authors did not come to a definite conclusion to account for the gender difference in mesothelioma rates. They did point out that there could be differences in behavior. In Wittenoom, they said, men rather than women usually performed casual labor and gardening around the home, activities that could bring them into contact with asbestos dust. On the other hand, the authors noted that women who lived with Australian Blue Asbestos Company workers were probably exposed to asbestos from that source, yet more men still developed mesothelioma.
One somewhat surprising discovery was that residents who were at least 15 years old when they were first exposed to environmental asbestos were more likely to die of mesothelioma than those who were less than 15 years old when they were initially exposed to asbestos. The study authors said that these children may have had a “more efficient defense mechanism,” but they did not go into detail about the meaning of this phrase.
The death rate from mesothelioma increased with cumulative asbestos exposure and with increasing length of residence in a town that had an asbestos mine.
CRAWLEY, AUSTRALIA — March 16, 2007 — Men exposed to blue asbestos (crocidolite) may be more likely to develop mesothelioma than women who are exposed to the substance, according to an Australian report. Researchers studied the medical histories of 4,786 residents of Wittenoom in Western Australia. Although they never worked in the town’s asbestos mine, these study participants were exposed to asbestos tailings and airborne asbestos when the mine was operated by the Australian Blue Asbestos Company between 1943 and 1966. The asbestos tailings were used to pave roads, parking areas, the school playground and a race course and were spread on the yards of houses to suppress red dust. Mine workers also came home in asbestos–laden clothes, according to the report.
By 2002, 36 men and 31 women in the study developed mesothelioma, including 64 who died from the disease. The death rate from mesothelioma increased with increasing length of residence and cumulative asbestos exposure and was lower for women than for men. After adjustments were made for cumulative asbestos exposure and age, men had four times the rate of mesothelioma compared to that for women. Among the women with mesothelioma, most had lived with men who worked for the Australian Blue Asbestos Company.
The authors did not come to a definite conclusion to account for the gender difference in mesothelioma rates. They did point out that there could be differences in behavior. In Wittenoom, they said, men rather than women usually performed casual labor and gardening around the home, activities that could bring them into contact with asbestos dust. On the other hand, the authors noted that women who lived with Australian Blue Asbestos Company workers were probably exposed to asbestos from that source, yet more men still developed mesothelioma.
One somewhat surprising discovery was that residents who were at least 15 years old when they were first exposed to environmental asbestos were more likely to die of mesothelioma than those who were less than 15 years old when they were initially exposed to asbestos. The study authors said that these children may have had a “more efficient defense mechanism,” but they did not go into detail about the meaning of this phrase.
from Mesothelioma Site.com
