Health surveillance for subjects with past exposure to asbestos: from international experience and Italian regional practices to a proposed operational model.

The authors have examined Italian and international approaches to the health surveillance of subjects with past occupational exposure to asbestos, with special emphasis on the practices adopted by some Italian regional governments. The principal theoretic features of a surveillance programme, such as its usefulness in terms of oncological prevention, have been described and an operational proposal has been put forward for the consideration of interested health operators.