Journal Top Ten- COLUMNS-Asbestos, March 2004

1 TITLE: 'Mortality in a Cohort of Vermiculite Miners Exposed to Fibrous Amphibole in Libby, Montana'

SUMMARY: A study to determine the excess risk from lung cancer, mesothelioma and all-cause mortality in a cohort of 406 mine workers exposed to tremolite and related amphibole fibers in Libby, Mt., prior to 1963. Among the deaths were 44 related to lung cancer, 51 to non-malignant respiratory disease and 12 to mesothelioma. The researchers concluded that the all-cause linear model employed in the study reveals a 14 percent increase in mortality for mine workers exposed occupationally to amphibole fibers, namely …