Asbestos bodies in children's lungs. An association with sudden infant death syndrome and bronchopulmonary dysplasia.

Lungs from 46 autopsied children (age range, 1 to 27 months) were examined for asbestos bodies using a bleach-digestion extraction technique. Ten (21.7%) of 46 children had asbestos bodies in their lungs. Of these ten children, seven were diagnosed with sudden infant death syndrome, and three were diagnosed with bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Thus, 46.6% of children with sudden infant death syndrome and 42.8% of children with bronchopulmonary dysplasia had asbestos bodies. Impaired lung-clearing mechanisms due to either abnormal lung physiology or reorganization of pulmonary architecture may be significant in the formation of asbestos bodies. Additionally, children with asbestos bodies may have been exposed to higher ambient levels of asbestos and other pollutants.