Indoor Environment and Noise Research Division, National Institute of Environmental Research, Incheon, Korea.
Department of Public Health, Graduate School, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea.
Sci Rep. 2020 Nov 23;10(1):20359. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-77291-9.
The Asbestos Injury Relief Act in Korea requires that asbestos exposure be assessed through clinical examination and chest computed tomography (CT). However, a more specific measurement of asbestos characteristics in the lung tissue may be appropriate. We aimed to investigate the asbestos burden and characterize asbestos fibers in patients with lung cancer and ultimately assess the relationship between occupational and environmental asbestos exposure and lung cancer in Korea. We evaluated 37 lung cancer patients (LCPs) from Busan. The factors affecting asbestos burden in LCPs were analyzed using a multiple regression analysis. History of asbestos exposure (environmental/occupational), male sex, and old age were the main factors affecting asbestos burden in lung tissues of LCPs. These factors had an approximate 37% adjusted coefficient of determination. There was a significant difference in the length of asbestos fibers (4.06-37.6 µm vs. 4.26-91.7 µm) and aspect ratio (4.5-151.9 vs. 5.6-735.6) between those who were occupationally exposed to asbestos and those who were environmentally exposed (P < 0.01). Therefore, both environmental/occupational exposure to asbestos should be strongly managed to reduce the risk of lung cancer, and exposure should be assessed according to the characteristics of asbestos fibers in the lung tissue.
韩国的《石棉伤害救济法》要求通过临床检查和胸部计算机断层扫描（CT）评估石棉暴露情况。然而，对肺组织中的石棉特性进行更具体的测量可能更为合适。我们旨在调查肺癌患者肺组织中的石棉负担，并对石棉纤维进行特征分析，最终评估韩国职业性和环境性石棉暴露与肺癌之间的关系。我们评估了来自釜山的 37 名肺癌患者（LCP）。使用多元回归分析来分析影响 LCP 石棉负担的因素。LCP 肺组织中石棉负担的主要影响因素是石棉暴露史（环境/职业）、男性和年龄较大。这些因素的调整系数决定率约为 37%。职业性石棉暴露组和环境性石棉暴露组的石棉纤维长度（4.06-37.6µm 比 4.26-91.7µm）和纵横比（4.5-151.9 比 5.6-735.6）存在显著差异（P<0.01）。因此，应大力管理职业性和环境性石棉暴露，以降低肺癌风险，并应根据肺组织中石棉纤维的特征进行暴露评估。
