Biomaterial Database

Etiology of pleural calcification: a study of Quebec chrysotile asbestos miners and millers. 1979

G W Gibbs

A review of 15,689 chest radiographs of Quebec chrysotile miners and millers, representing the latest film prior to November 1, 1966, for all such persons ever x-rayed, identified 206 men with pleural calcification. Of these, 198 had worked in the Thetford Mines area, 6 at Asbestos, and 2 at St. Remi de Tingwick; 2.5%, 0.08%, and 1% of the films from these areas, respectively. A series of case-control studies revealed that pleural calcification was concentrated in men employed at a small group of mines in Thetford Mines and occurred more often among miners and maintenance personnel than among millers. Calcification was not related to past history of illness or injury, place of residence, or employment in other industries. The distribution of pleural calcification in this Quebec industry suggests that it is related to some characteristic of airborne dust or mineral closely associated with the chrysotile that is encountered during mining in Thetford Mines but not in other mining areas. Possible minerals include mica, talc, and breunnerite.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008297	Male		Males
D008875	Middle Aged	An adult aged 45 - 64 years.	Middle Age
D008906	Mining	The process of extracting mineral deposits from the earth.
D009784	Occupational Diseases	Diseases caused by factors involved in one's employment.	Diseases, Occupational,Occupational Illnesses,Disease, Occupational,Illnesse, Occupational,Illnesses, Occupational,Occupational Disease,Occupational Illnesse
D009790	Occupations	Crafts, trades, professions, or other means of earning a living.	Vocations,Occupation,Vocation
D010995	Pleural Diseases	Diseases involving the PLEURA.	Disease, Pleural,Diseases, Pleural,Pleural Disease
D011792	Quebec	A province of eastern Canada. Its capital is Quebec. The region belonged to France from 1627 to 1763 when it was lost to the British. The name is from the Algonquian quilibek meaning the place where waters narrow, referring to the gradually narrowing channel of the St. Lawrence or to the narrows of the river at Cape Diamond. (From Webster's New Geographical Dictionary, 1988, p993 & Room, Brewer's Dictionary of Names, 1992, p440)
D002114	Calcinosis	Pathologic deposition of calcium salts in tissues.	Calcification, Pathologic,Calcinosis, Tumoral,Microcalcification,Microcalcinosis,Pathologic Calcification,Calcinoses,Calcinoses, Tumoral,Microcalcifications,Microcalcinoses,Tumoral Calcinoses,Tumoral Calcinosis
D004391	Dust	Earth or other matter in fine, dry particles. (Random House Unabridged Dictionary, 2d ed)	House Dust,Housedust,Dust, House
D004781	Environmental Exposure	The exposure to potentially harmful chemical, physical, or biological agents in the environment or to environmental factors that may include ionizing radiation, pathogenic organisms, or toxic chemicals.	Exposure, Environmental,Environmental Exposures,Exposures, Environmental