Red-Alarm against Fibers Concentration of Asbestos in Atmospheric Urban Area of Tehran Capital of Iran
International Journal of Medical Toxicology and Forensic Medicine,
Vol. 4 No. 4(Autumn) (2014),
5 December 2014
,
Page 119-121
https://doi.org/10.22037/ijmtfm.v4i4(Autumn).6046
Abstract
Asbestos is the natural silicate minerals with attractive physical properties such as; resistant to fire, electrical and chemical solvents. It composes of six types of materials include; Serpentine group; Chrysotile, Amphibole groups; amosite (Brown), Crocidolite (Blue) and other materials. It is popular for low cost favorable properties. All the six types have asbestiform fiber crystal, and can induce carcinogen in human. It was generally used during the boom of the industrial revolution since 1866, and the first publish of the unhealthy effect of asbestos reported nearly 30 years after industrial usage since 1899. The most common usage types of asbestos consist of chrysotile and the crocidolite. All the current types widely use in the building structures, brake pads (1) and clutch disc (2).
Daily inhalation of asbestos occurs in the ambient air of cities which associated with poor air quality control. This event leads to generation of asbestosis disease (3), cancer development and mortality (4) and morbidity among at-risk population, such as asbestos –exposed workers (5), non-occupational subjects, people who living in the asbestos fibers exposed environment (6).
Corresponding author: Agin Kh, MD. Associated Professor of the Respiratory Medicine. Logman Hakeem General Teaching Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
E-mail: khosrow.agin@yahoo.com & Agin@sbmu.ac.ir
Long time exposure with asbestos leads to the development of chronic lung disease. It can be developed as occupational and non-occupational conditions (7, 8). Mesothelioma and lung cancer are the known causes of the asbestos exposure (9). In addition, it produces risk development of esophageal gastric, colorectal cancer (10) and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (11). Children also are at risk of cancer by asbestos inhalation (12). The accepted threshold for asbestos is 100 fiber/liter that measured by phase-contrast optical microscopy (PCM) (13). There is a direct relationship between high level of asbestos in air and lung cancer (14).
The first use of asbestos in Iran returns to World War II during the foundation of railroad and beginning product of cement manufacture in 1958 (15). Meanwhile, asbestos is producing up to 55000 tones cement in Iran annually, and near the 94% of produced cement that used in our country. The current output predominantly detected in the manufacture of building material (16), as pipe in the water delivery network (5000 Kilometer), brake pads (17) and pad shoes (15, 18). The most common types of asbestos observed in the ambient urban area of Tehran, including; Chrysotil (60%), tremolite (10%), antophylline (10%) (19). The rate of asbestos in air of Tehran- Iran was 68 times higher in the USA in 2009 (19). Our ministry of health in 2013 reported that the asbestos levels in the Tehran was 50-100 times more than the standard definition of the world (20).
It seems that the deadline of depreciating has been finalized to the issue of asbestos fibers in our atmospheric cities. It requires a national decision, though the creating practice planes in reducing the level of usage and replacement that with safe materials.
- Asbestos
- Tehran
- Mortality
How to Cite
References
Cely-García MF, Torres-Duque CA, Durán M, Parada P, Sarmiento OL, Breysse PN, Ramos-Bonilla JP. Personal exposure to asbestos and respiratory health of heavy vehicle brake mechanics. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol. 2014 Feb 5. doi: 10.1038/jes.2014.8. [Abstract]
Asbestos. Available at: http:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asbestos
Dang GT, Barros N, Higgins SA, Langley RL, Lipton D. Descriptive review of asbestosis and silicosis hospitalization trends in North Carolina, 2002-2011. N C Med J. 2013;74(5):368-75.
Schonfeld SJ, McCormack V, Rutherford MJ, Schüz J. Regional variations in German mesothelioma mortality rates: 2000-2010. Cancer Causes Control. 2014 Mar 22. [abstract]
Jafari M, Karimi A, Mohammad-Bardshahi A. Prediction of cancer mortality by evaluation of asbestos fibers concentration in an asbestos-cement products factory. Iran. J. Environ. Health Sci. Eng. 2010;7(2):165-72.
Mirabelli D, Cavone D, Merler E, Gennaro V, Romanelli A, Mensi C, et al. Non-occupational exposure to asbestos and malignant mesothelioma in the Italian National Registry of Mesotheliomas. Occup Environ Med. 2010;67(11):792-4.
Lacourt A, Gramond C, Rolland P, Ducamp S, Audignon S, Astoul P, et al. Occupational and non-occupational attributable risk of asbestos exposure for malignant pleural mesothelioma. Thorax. 2014 Feb 7. doi: 10.1136/thoraxjnl-2013-203744. [abstract]
Reid A, Heyworth J, de Klerk NH, Musk B. Cancer incidence among women and girls environmentally and occupationally exposed to blueasbestos at Wittenoom, Western Australia. Int J Cancer; 122(10):2337-44.
Offermans NS, Vermeulen R, Burdorf A, Goldbohm RA, Kauppinen T, Kromhout H, van den Brandt PA. Occupational asbestos exposure and risk of pleural mesothelioma, lung cancer, and laryngeal cancer in the prospective Netherlands cohort study. J Occup Environ Med. 2014;56(1):6-19.
Offermans NS, Vermeulen R, Burdorf A, Goldbohm RA, Keszei AP, Peters S, Kauppinen T, Kromhout H, van den Brandt PA. Occupational asbestos exposure and risk of esophageal, gastric and colorectal cancer in the prospective Netherlands Cohort Study. Int J Cancer. 2014 Feb 28. doi: 10.1002/ijc.28817. [abstract]
Langevin SM, McClean MD, Michaud DS, Eliot M, Nelson HH, Kelsey KT. Occupational dust exposure and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma risk in a population-based case-control study conducted in the greater Boston area. Cancer Med. 2013;2(6):978-86.
Kang D, Myung MS, Kim YK, Kim JE. Systematic Review of the Effects of Asbestos Exposure on the Risk of Cancer between Childrenand Adults. Ann Occup Environ Med. 2013;25(1):10-5.
Miscetti G, Bodo P, Garofani P, Abbritti EP, Lumare A. Levels of exposure to respirable fibers at worksites for abatement of compact and friableasbestos. Med Lav. 2014;105(1):63-73. Italian.
Nielsen LS, Bælum J, Rasmussen J, Dahl S, Olsen KE, Albin M, et al. Occupational asbestos exposure and lung cancer-a systematic review of the literature. Arch Environ Occup Health. 2014;69(4):191-206.
Rahimi M. International ban asbestos secretariat. Available at: http:// ibasecretariat.org/rm_ktf_iranian_chap_eng.php
Kakooei H, Normohammadi M. Asbestos Exposure among Construction Workers During Demolition of Old Houses in Tehran, Iran. Ind Health. 2014;52(1):71-7.
Kakooei H, Hormozy M, Marioryad H. Evaluation of asbestos exposure during brake repair and replacement. Ind Health. 2011;49(3):374-80.
Azari MR, Nasermoaddeli A, Movahadi M, Mehrabi Y, Hatami H, Soori H, et al. Risk assessment of lung cancer and asbestosis in workers exposed to asbestos fibers in brake shoe factory in Iran. Ind Health. 2010;48(1):38-42.
kakooi H, Yunesian M, Marioryad H, Azam K. Assessment of airborne asbestos fiber concentrations in urban area of Tehran .Air qual atoms Health. 2009;2:39-45.
5,000 people annually die in Tehran because of heavy air pollution. Available at: http://en.trend.az/regions/iran/2081607.html.
- Abstract Viewed: 1007 times
- PDF Downloaded: 259 times