Asbestos: Selected Cancers »

Institute of Medicine's Committee on Asbestos: Selected Health Effects presents the committee's comprehensive distillation of peer-reviewed scientific & medical literature regarding the association between asbestos & colorectal, laryngeal, esophageal, pharyngeal & stomach cancers.

Summary     1
Introduction     13
Statement of Charge     13
Current Legislation     13
Overview of Patterns of Asbestos Use and Recognition of Its Health Consequences     14
Committee's Approach to Its Charge     16
References     17
Committee's Approach to Its Charge and Methods Used in Evaluation     18
General Approach to Evidence Review     18
Evidence Considered     22
Criteria for Evidence Evaluation     25
Methods Used for Quantitative Meta-Analysis     36
Integration of Data     43
References     45
Background Information on Asbestos     49
Introduction     49
"Fibrous" and "Asbestiform"     50
Serpentine Asbestos (Chrysotile) Mineralogy     52
Amphibole Asbestos Mineralogy     55
Properties of Potentially Hazardous Fibrous Minerals     57
References     61
Exposure and Disposition     63
Exposure     63
Dosimetry     68
References     77
Biological Aspects of Asbestos-Related Diseases     81
Asbestos-Related Pulmonary Diseases and Their Mechanisms     81
Information from Animal Studies     90
Biomarkers     94
References     96
Description of Epidemiologic Studies Included in Evidentiary Dataset     104
Cohort Studies     104
Case-Control Studies     140
Integration of Epidemiologic Evidence with Non-Epidemiologic Evidence     144
References     145
Pharyngeal Cancer and Asbestos     159
Nature of This Cancer Type     159
Epidemiologic Evidence Considered     161
Evidence Integration and Conclusion     169
References     170
Laryngeal Cancer and Asbestos     173
Nature of This Cancer Type     173
Epidemiologic Evidence Considered     175
Evidence Integration and Conclusion     186
References     188
Esophageal Cancer and Asbestos     193
Nature of This Cancer Type     193
Epidemiologic Evidence Considered     195
Evidence Integration and Conclusion     198
References     200
Stomach Cancer and Asbestos     203
Nature of This Cancer Type     203
Epidemiologic Evidence Considered     204
Evidence Integration and Conclusion     211
References     212
Colorectal Cancer and Asbestos     216
Nature of This Cancer Type     216
Epidemiologic Evidence Considered     217
Evidence Integration and Conclusion     224
References     226
Summary and Recommendations     230
Summary     230
Recommendations     232
Appendixes
Agendas of Public Meetings Held by the Committee on Asbestos: Selected Health Effects     233
Lineage and Design Properties of Studies on Cohorts Informative for Selected Cancers     237
Description of Case-Control Studies of All Selected Cancers as Related to Exposure to Asbestos     255
Cohort Results Tables     271
Case-Control Results Tables     297
Initial Analyses of Available Data Concerning Cancers of the Colon and/or Rectum and Asbestos Exposure     309
Committee on Asbestos: Selected Health Effects     323