Noonan Curtis W
Center for Environmental Health Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, USA.
Ann Transl Med. 2017 Jun;5(11):234. doi: 10.21037/atm.2017.03.74.
Mesothelioma is commonly considered an occupational disease occurring as a result of asbestos exposure in the workplace. Several avenues for environmental asbestos exposures have been described and may be associated with asbestos related disease, including mesothelioma. Worker take-home asbestos, or para-occupational exposure, has been well documented and is the most commonly reported pathway for asbestos exposure among mesothelioma cases that do not have history of occupational asbestos exposure. Observational studies have evaluated several communities with elevated mesothelioma incidence and environmental exposures attributed to local asbestos-related industries. Potential, but uncertain, mesothelioma risk also may be associated with general population asbestos exposure through contact with asbestos-containing commercial products, particularly housing materials that can be easily disturbed through normal activity. Finally, studies have described elevated mesothelioma incidence in several areas where populations are exposed to naturally occurring asbestos materials. These various environmental asbestos exposure pathways are poorly understood, and further studies should be pursued to evaluate their respective importance for population mesothelioma risk.
间皮瘤通常被认为是一种职业病，是由于在工作场所接触石棉所致。已经描述了几种环境中石棉接触途径，这些途径可能与包括间皮瘤在内的石棉相关疾病有关。工人带回家的石棉，即准职业性接触，已有充分记录，是在没有职业性石棉接触史的间皮瘤病例中最常报告的石棉接触途径。观察性研究评估了几个间皮瘤发病率升高且环境暴露归因于当地石棉相关产业的社区。通过接触含石棉的商业产品，特别是通过正常活动容易受到扰动的房屋材料，普通人群接触石棉也可能存在潜在但不确定的间皮瘤风险。最后，研究表明在一些人群接触天然存在的石棉材料的地区，间皮瘤发病率有所升高。人们对这些各种环境石棉接触途径了解甚少，应进一步开展研究以评估它们对人群间皮瘤风险的各自重要性。
