Department of Respiratory Medicine, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
Intern Med J. 2011 May;41(5):372-80. doi: 10.1111/j.1445-5994.2011.02451.x.
Inhalation of airborne asbestos fibres causes several diseases. These include asbestosis, lung cancer, malignant mesothelioma as well as pleural effusion, discrete (plaques) or diffuse benign pleural fibrosis and rolled atelectasis. The lag time between exposure and the development of disease may be many decades, thus the health risks of asbestos continue to be relevant despite bans on the use of asbestos and improvements in safety regulations for those who are still exposed. Asbestos was mined and used extensively in Australia for over 100 years and Australia is now experiencing part of a worldwide epidemic of asbestos-related disease. This review provides insight into the history and epidemiology of asbestos-related disease in Australia and discusses relevant clinical aspects in their diagnosis and management. The past and current medico-legal aspects of asbestos as well as currently evolving areas of research and future projections are summarized.
吸入空气中的石棉纤维会导致多种疾病。这些疾病包括石棉肺、肺癌、恶性间皮瘤以及胸腔积液、离散（斑块）或弥漫性良性胸膜纤维化和肺不张。暴露于石棉和疾病发展之间的潜伏期可能长达数十年，因此尽管禁止使用石棉和改善了对仍暴露于石棉的人的安全法规，但石棉的健康风险仍然存在。在澳大利亚，石棉被广泛开采和使用了 100 多年，澳大利亚现在正在经历与石棉相关疾病的全球性流行的一部分。这篇综述提供了澳大利亚石棉相关疾病的历史和流行病学的深入了解，并讨论了其诊断和管理的相关临床方面。总结了石棉的过去和现在的医学法律方面以及当前不断发展的研究领域和未来的预测。
