Health & Environmental Research Online (HERO)


Print Feedback Export to File
3096430 
Technical Report 
Computer quantitation of gallium-67 lung uptake in crocidolite (blue asbestos) workers of Western Australia (Australia) 
Hayes, AA; Thickbroom, GW; Guelfi, GR; Musk, AW; Van Der SCHAAF, AA 
1990 
BIOSIS/91/31773 
16 
12 
855-858 
English 
BIOSIS COPYRIGHT: BIOL ABS. Pulmonary inflammation has been evaluated in 43 crocidolite-exposed asbestos (ASB) workers and 12 control subjects, using a quantitative index of gallium uptake (GI). The GI was compared with chest roentgenographs (CXRs) graded by the ILO classification. The ASB workers included 15 with asbestosis (CXR \ 1/0), 19 with a normal CXR (CXR 0/0), and 9 with equivocal CXR changes (CXR 0/1). In individuals with asbestosis the GI was 3.6 | 0.3 (mean | SEM), P and lt; 0.01 compared with exposed patients without asbestosis. In exposed patients with equivocal CXR changes (0/1) the GI was 3.1 | 0.3, and in exposed patients with a normal CXR (0/0) the GI was 2.4 | 0.2. The GI for subjects without lung disease was 1.2 | 0.2, P and lt; 0.01 compared with exposed patients without asbestosis. The scans were scored independently by two observers, and the two correlation coefficient of the two sets of GI was 0.95. These data demonstrate that subjects with crocidolite-induced asbestosis and expos