Case-fatality study of workers and residents with radiographic asbestos disease in Libby, Montana

Albert Miller; Charles B. Black; Gregory Loewen; Curtis W. Noonan; Tracy McNew; Alan C. Whitehouse; Arthur L. Frank

doi:10.1002/ajim.23320

Case-fatality study of workers and residents with radiographic asbestos disease in Libby, Montana

Albert Miller
, Charles B. Black
, Gregory Loewen
, Curtis W. Noonan
, Tracy McNew
, Alan C. Whitehouse
, Arthur L. Frank

School of Public and Community Health Sciences

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

3 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background: Vermiculite ore from Libby, Montana contains on average 24% of a mixture of toxic and carcinogenic amphibole asbestiform fibers. These comprise primarily winchite (84%), with smaller quantities of richterite (11%) and tremolite (6%), which are together referred to as Libby amphibole (LA). Methods: A total of 1883 individuals who were occupationally and/or environmentally exposed to LA and were diagnosed with asbestos-related pleuropulmonary disease (ARPPD) following participation in communitywide screening programs supported by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) and followed up at the Center for Asbestos Related Disease (CARD) between 2000 and 2010. There were 203 deaths of patients with sufficient records and radiographs. Best clinical and radiologic evidence was used to determine the cause of death, which was compared with death certificates. Results: Asbestos-related mortality was 55% (n = 112) in this series of 203 patients. Of the 203 deaths, 34 (17%) were from asbestos-related malignancy, 75 (37%) were from parenchymal asbestosis, often with pleural fibrosis, and 3 (1.5%) were from respiratory failure secondary to pleural thickening. Conclusions: Asbestos is the leading cause of mortality following both occupational and nonoccupational exposure to LA in those with asbestos-related disease.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	196-202
Number of pages	7
Journal	American Journal of Industrial Medicine
Volume	65
Issue number	3
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1002/ajim.23320
State	Published - Mar 2022

Funding

The authors acknowledge the staff at the Center for Asbestos Related Disease for their dedication to providing high‐quality patient care. Funding for the programs which produced the data analyzed in this study included: (1) NIH project # 5R01TS000099 Libby Epidemiology Research Program; (2) the Center for Asbestos Related Disease Foundation; (3) Health and Human Services HRSA grant #1 D04RH15013‐01; (4) the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry‐ Montana Asbestos Screening and Surveillance Activity (MASSA) supported screening for ARD from 2000 to 2009, followed by CARD; (5) Curtis W. Noonan is supported by the NIH‐funded Center for Population Health Research (P20GM130418). The authors acknowledge the staff at the Center for Asbestos Related Disease for their dedication to providing high-quality patient care.?Funding for the programs which produced the data analyzed in this study included: (1) NIH project # 5R01TS000099 Libby Epidemiology Research Program; (2) the Center for Asbestos Related Disease Foundation; (3) Health and Human Services HRSA grant #1 D04RH15013-01; (4) the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry- Montana Asbestos Screening and Surveillance Activity (MASSA) supported screening for ARD from 2000 to 2009, followed by CARD; (5) Curtis W. Noonan is supported by the NIH-funded Center for Population Health Research (P20GM130418).

Funders	Funder number
Center for Asbestos Related Disease	1 D04RH15013‐01
5R01TS000099
P20GM130418

Keywords

Libby amphibole (LA)
asbestos-related pleuropulmonary disease (ARPPD)
case fatality
lamellar pleural thickening (LPT)
mortality
vermiculite

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1002/ajim.23320

Cite this

@article{184d36b6bc3c474fa9e5645fd50d2c00,

title = "Case-fatality study of workers and residents with radiographic asbestos disease in Libby, Montana",

abstract = "Background: Vermiculite ore from Libby, Montana contains on average 24\% of a mixture of toxic and carcinogenic amphibole asbestiform fibers. These comprise primarily winchite (84\%), with smaller quantities of richterite (11\%) and tremolite (6\%), which are together referred to as Libby amphibole (LA). Methods: A total of 1883 individuals who were occupationally and/or environmentally exposed to LA and were diagnosed with asbestos-related pleuropulmonary disease (ARPPD) following participation in communitywide screening programs supported by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) and followed up at the Center for Asbestos Related Disease (CARD) between 2000 and 2010. There were 203 deaths of patients with sufficient records and radiographs. Best clinical and radiologic evidence was used to determine the cause of death, which was compared with death certificates. Results: Asbestos-related mortality was 55\% (n = 112) in this series of 203 patients. Of the 203 deaths, 34 (17\%) were from asbestos-related malignancy, 75 (37\%) were from parenchymal asbestosis, often with pleural fibrosis, and 3 (1.5\%) were from respiratory failure secondary to pleural thickening. Conclusions: Asbestos is the leading cause of mortality following both occupational and nonoccupational exposure to LA in those with asbestos-related disease.",

keywords = "Libby amphibole (LA), asbestos-related pleuropulmonary disease (ARPPD), case fatality, lamellar pleural thickening (LPT), mortality, vermiculite",

author = "Albert Miller and Black, \{Charles B.\} and Gregory Loewen and Noonan, \{Curtis W.\} and Tracy McNew and Whitehouse, \{Alan C.\} and Frank, \{Arthur L.\}",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021 The Authors. American Journal of Industrial Medicine Published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.",

year = "2022",

month = mar,

doi = "10.1002/ajim.23320",

language = "English",

volume = "65",

pages = "196--202",

journal = "American Journal of Industrial Medicine",

issn = "0271-3586",

publisher = "Wiley-Liss Inc.",

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}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Case-fatality study of workers and residents with radiographic asbestos disease in Libby, Montana

AU - Miller, Albert

AU - Black, Charles B.

AU - Loewen, Gregory

AU - Noonan, Curtis W.

AU - McNew, Tracy

AU - Whitehouse, Alan C.

AU - Frank, Arthur L.

PY - 2022/3

Y1 - 2022/3

N2 - Background: Vermiculite ore from Libby, Montana contains on average 24% of a mixture of toxic and carcinogenic amphibole asbestiform fibers. These comprise primarily winchite (84%), with smaller quantities of richterite (11%) and tremolite (6%), which are together referred to as Libby amphibole (LA). Methods: A total of 1883 individuals who were occupationally and/or environmentally exposed to LA and were diagnosed with asbestos-related pleuropulmonary disease (ARPPD) following participation in communitywide screening programs supported by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) and followed up at the Center for Asbestos Related Disease (CARD) between 2000 and 2010. There were 203 deaths of patients with sufficient records and radiographs. Best clinical and radiologic evidence was used to determine the cause of death, which was compared with death certificates. Results: Asbestos-related mortality was 55% (n = 112) in this series of 203 patients. Of the 203 deaths, 34 (17%) were from asbestos-related malignancy, 75 (37%) were from parenchymal asbestosis, often with pleural fibrosis, and 3 (1.5%) were from respiratory failure secondary to pleural thickening. Conclusions: Asbestos is the leading cause of mortality following both occupational and nonoccupational exposure to LA in those with asbestos-related disease.

AB - Background: Vermiculite ore from Libby, Montana contains on average 24% of a mixture of toxic and carcinogenic amphibole asbestiform fibers. These comprise primarily winchite (84%), with smaller quantities of richterite (11%) and tremolite (6%), which are together referred to as Libby amphibole (LA). Methods: A total of 1883 individuals who were occupationally and/or environmentally exposed to LA and were diagnosed with asbestos-related pleuropulmonary disease (ARPPD) following participation in communitywide screening programs supported by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) and followed up at the Center for Asbestos Related Disease (CARD) between 2000 and 2010. There were 203 deaths of patients with sufficient records and radiographs. Best clinical and radiologic evidence was used to determine the cause of death, which was compared with death certificates. Results: Asbestos-related mortality was 55% (n = 112) in this series of 203 patients. Of the 203 deaths, 34 (17%) were from asbestos-related malignancy, 75 (37%) were from parenchymal asbestosis, often with pleural fibrosis, and 3 (1.5%) were from respiratory failure secondary to pleural thickening. Conclusions: Asbestos is the leading cause of mortality following both occupational and nonoccupational exposure to LA in those with asbestos-related disease.

KW - Libby amphibole (LA)

KW - asbestos-related pleuropulmonary disease (ARPPD)

KW - case fatality

KW - lamellar pleural thickening (LPT)

KW - mortality

KW - vermiculite

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JO - American Journal of Industrial Medicine

JF - American Journal of Industrial Medicine

IS - 3

ER -

Case-fatality study of workers and residents with radiographic asbestos disease in Libby, Montana

Abstract

Funding

Keywords

UN SDGs

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