Graziosi Francesca, Caffaro Paola, Bonetti Mattia, Roccuzzo Francesco, Rota Samantha, Boffetta Paolo, Caraballo-Arias Yohama Auxiliadora, Zunarelli Carlotta, Danilevskaia Nataliia, Violante Francesco Saverio
Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, 40138, Bologna, Italy.
School of Occupational Medicine, Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, 40138, Bologna, Italy.
J Occup Med Toxicol. 2023 Nov 9;18(1):24. doi: 10.1186/s12995-023-00392-4.
Asbestos is a mineral present in nature and it has been used for years in numerous settings. Asbestos enters the bloodstream and lymphatic system mainly through breathing.
Studies with asbestos fiber's quantification in human tissues are scarce except for the lung. This article summarizes asbestos studies in some extra-abdominal tissues.
A scoping review of articles that quantified asbestos fibers in extra-abdominal tissues (lymph nodes, pharynx, larynx, trachea, heart) by electron microscopy (Scanning-SEM or Transmission-TEM) was performed.
The 10 studies selected comprised 52 cases, out of whom 108 samples were analyzed. Mostly samples were lymph node tissues (102), followed by larynx (3) and myocardium (3). No studies were found that determined the presence of asbestos in the pharynx or trachea. The concentration of asbestos fibers detected in the lymph nodes was from 0.003 million fibers per gram of dry tissue (mfgdt) up to 7400 mfgdt, in the larynx the range was from 0.5 mfgdt up to 3.6 mfgdt, in myocardium no asbestos fibers were detected.
The studies included were heterogeneous in terms of case and sample characteristics and analytical techniques. As subjects exposed to asbestos are often positive for fibers in thoracic lymph nodes, we suggest that whenever a human tissue sample is analyzed for asbestos presence, the relevant draining lymph node should be concomitantly studied.
石棉是一种天然存在的矿物质，多年来一直在众多环境中使用。石棉主要通过呼吸进入血液和淋巴系统。
除肺部外，在人体组织中对石棉纤维进行定量研究的较少。本文总结了在一些腹外组织中的石棉研究。
对通过电子显微镜（扫描电子显微镜-SEM或透射电子显微镜-TEM）对腹外组织（淋巴结、咽、喉、气管、心脏）中的石棉纤维进行定量的文章进行了范围综述。
所选的10项研究包括52例病例，共分析了108个样本。大多数样本是淋巴结组织（102个），其次是喉（3个）和心肌（3个）。未发现有研究确定咽部或气管中存在石棉。在淋巴结中检测到的石棉纤维浓度为每克干组织0.003百万根纤维（mfgdt）至7400 mfgdt，在喉中的范围为0.5 mfgdt至3.6 mfgdt，在心肌中未检测到石棉纤维。
纳入的研究在病例和样本特征以及分析技术方面存在异质性。由于接触石棉的受试者的胸部淋巴结中的纤维通常呈阳性，我们建议每当分析人体组织样本中是否存在石棉时，应同时研究相关的引流淋巴结。
