Italian Case Illustrates Unusual Way of Tracking Asbestos Exposure
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Italian Case Illustrates Unusual Way of Tracking Asbestos Exposure

ByAlex Strauss

After a mysterious cluster of mesothelioma cases cropped up among Italian textile workers, researchers found an unusual way of tracking asbestos exposure. Asbestos is the main cause of malignant mesothelioma. Many mesothelioma patients came in contact with asbestos at work. But it is not always clear how it happened.   Mesothelioma legal cases often hinge on tracking asbestos exposure at a negligent company. But in the case of the Italian textile workers, the exposure was not obvious. The workers produced sewing threads. They did not work directly with asbestos. It was not until an abatement company started removing asbestos from the plant, that researchers got a clearer picture of why the workers got sick.  The Challenge of Tracking Asbestos Exposure Asbestos…

Study Finds Peritoneal Mesothelioma More Common in Textile Workers
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Study Finds Peritoneal Mesothelioma More Common in Textile Workers

ByAlex Strauss

A new report out of Asia finds that one of the rarest types of mesothelioma is “over-represented” in a group of female textile workers exposed to chrysotile asbestos. Chrysotile is one of six fibrous minerals that are classified as asbestos. Known as white asbestos, chrysotile is the most common type, accounting for about 95 of the asbestos used in industry. Chrysotile fibers are strong and can be made into thread and woven into cloth for flame retardant blankets and insulators. Like all types of asbestos, it is resistant to heat and flame. Although chrysotile was heavily used in textile workshops in Southeast China, no clear link had been drawn between workshop use of chrysotile and development of mesothelioma until now. In…