Journal Top Ten

photo-7 photo-8 Article: "Fatal Asbestosis 50 Years After Brief High Intensity Exposure in a Vermiculite Expansion Plant"

Summary: Case study involving a 65-year-old accountant with brief exposure to asbestos during a summer job 50 years ago in a California vermiculite expansion plant. Open lung biopsy confirmed asbestosis, with more than 8 million asbestos fibers per gram dry lung, 68 percent of which were tremolite. The case raises concern about the risks of vermiculite-induced lung disease among those who worked in the more than 200 expansion plants throughout the country and the possible health risks among end-users of products containing vermiculite.