Chrysotile type asbestos: Range 0–30,000 fibers/gram wet weight lung

\* Amphiboles type asbestos: Range 0–345 fibers/gram wet weight lung


#### *\* Amphiboles include: tremolite.*

*\*\*Asbestos bodies counted by light microscopy of cytocentrifuge preparations. Levels are too low to be detected by electron microscopy.*

*+ The combination of chrysotile and amphibole fiber burdens represent only cases from the 35 case pool studied where both types of fibers were seen together.*

*# 100% of the fibers counted were less than 5 μm in length and 100% of those fibers were less than 1 μm in length. @All amphiboles fibers were tremolite.*

#### **Table 2.**

*This table illustrates the range, means and types of asbestos found in the lungs of patients that have had absolutely no exposure to asbestos except for the air they breathe in the New York metropolitan area.*

**83**

*\**

**Table 4.**

are counted.

*electron microscopy.*

*Analytic Analyses of Human Tissues for the Presence of Asbestos and Talc*

looking at tissue analyses and background controls, it is clear that the amount of background seen is also decreasing. It was once believed that individuals just breathing the air in New York City or for any other city in the world, people would have millions of asbestos fibers in their lungs. This author does not believe that it is true any longer. Based on the most current study group of background controls, it has been determined that no matter how sensitive the testing is done, the great majority of individuals do not exhibited any asbestos in their lungs. The few that have been shown to have asbestos, is restricted to finding very short, less than 1 μm in length, chrysotile fibrils and similarly sized tremolite and nothing else. The results of the analyses of 35 patients meeting all the criteria mentioned above as background controls are shown in **Tables 2–4** for the tissues commonly analyzed

From a techniques point of view, it is imperative that the analyses of the patient

Current levels of asbestos fiber burden observed in digests of paratracheal and parabronchial lymph node

*\*\*Asbestos bodies counted by light microscopy of cytocentrifuge preparations. Levels are too low to be detected by* 

*The combination of chrysotile and amphibole fiber burdens represent only cases from the 35 case pool studied where* 

*100% of the fibers counted were less than 5 μm in length and 100% of those fibers were less than 1 μm in length.*

*This table illustrates the range, means and types of asbestos found in the paratracheal and parabronchial lymph nodes of patients that have had absolutely no exposure to asbestos except for the air they breathe in the* 

Current levels, 2009–present, of asbestos fiber burden observed in digests of 15 abdominal organs and tissues from our autopsy and surgical population with no history of asbestos exposure. All fibers regardless of size

*\*\*Asbestos bodies counted by light microscopy of cytocentrifuge preparations. Levels are too low to be detected by* 

*This table shows that in patients with no history to asbestos or talc exposure there was no evidence of asbestos in the abdominal organs including any gynecological organs as the ovaries, uterus, fallopian tubes and cervix.*

Chrysotile type asbestos: Range 0 fibers/gram wet weight abdominal organs and tissues

\*\*Asbestos bodies: Range 0 bodies/gram wet weight abdominal organs and tissues.

\*,@Amphiboles type asbestos: Range 0 fibers/gram wet weight abdominal organs and tissues

Mean 0 fibers/gram wet weight abdominal organs and tissues.

Mean 0 fibers/gram wet weight abdominal organs and tissues. Chrysotile & Amphibole: Range 0 fibers/gram wet weight lung Mean 0 fibers/gram wet weight abdominal organs and tissues.

Mean <1 body per gram wet weight abdominal organs and tissues.

*Amphiboles could include: tremolite or anthophyllite.*

are done with the same degree of sensitivity as the background controls.

tissue from our autopsy and surgical population with no history of asbestos exposure.

Chrysotile type asbestos: Range 0–690 fibers/gram wet weight lymph node.

\*,@Amphiboles type asbestos: Range 0–690 fibers/gram wet weight lung

+,#,@Chrysotile & Amphibole: Range 0–1380 fibers/gram wet weight lung

\*\*Asbestos bodies: Range 0–1 bodies/gram wet weight lymph node

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.83656*

Mean fibers/gram wet weight lymph node.

Mean 20 fibers/gram wet weight lymph node.

Mean 39 fibers/gram wet weight lymph node.

*Amphiboles include: tremolite*

*both types of fibers were seen together.*

*@All amphiboles fibers were tremolite.*

*New York metropolitan area.*

*electron microscopy.*

Mean <1 body per gram wet weight lymph node.

in the laboratory.

#

*\**

*+*

*#*

**Table 3.**

Mean 857 fibers/gram wet weight lung

Mean 10 fibers/gram wet weight lung

*Analytic Analyses of Human Tissues for the Presence of Asbestos and Talc DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.83656*

looking at tissue analyses and background controls, it is clear that the amount of background seen is also decreasing. It was once believed that individuals just breathing the air in New York City or for any other city in the world, people would have millions of asbestos fibers in their lungs. This author does not believe that it is true any longer. Based on the most current study group of background controls, it has been determined that no matter how sensitive the testing is done, the great majority of individuals do not exhibited any asbestos in their lungs. The few that have been shown to have asbestos, is restricted to finding very short, less than 1 μm in length, chrysotile fibrils and similarly sized tremolite and nothing else. The results of the analyses of 35 patients meeting all the criteria mentioned above as background controls are shown in **Tables 2–4** for the tissues commonly analyzed in the laboratory.

From a techniques point of view, it is imperative that the analyses of the patient are done with the same degree of sensitivity as the background controls.

Current levels of asbestos fiber burden observed in digests of paratracheal and parabronchial lymph node tissue from our autopsy and surgical population with no history of asbestos exposure.
