US EPA

709615 

Journal Article 

Transplacental transfer of asbestos in pregnant mice 

Haque, AK; Vrazel, DM 

1998 

Yes 

Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology
ISSN: 0007-4861
EISSN: 1432-0800 

INJECT 

Bull. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 

60 

4 

620-625 

English 

9557202 

10.1007/s001289900671 

WOS:000072812300018 

Occupational exposure to asbestos has been on decline in the US over the last 2-3 decades. There is, however, concern that environmental asbestos exposure is increasing through the use of asbestos-containing products (Churg 1988; Edelman 1988; Jarvholm et al. 1988; Sebastein et al. 1989). Most of the previous studies on asbestos exposure have included adult subjects only. However, recent studies have demonstrated asbestos fibers in the tissues and/or placenta digests of a series of autopsied stillborn infants (Haque et al. 1992; 1995; 1996). One of these studies found a highly significant difference (p = 0.001) between the mean asbestos counts of tissues from 92 autopsied stillborn infants (52,894 fibers/g) and 45 control placentas of healthy liveborn infants (19 fibers/g) (Haque et al. 1996). A possible relationship between stillbirths and asbestos fiber presence was also suggested by this study. Additionally, significant association was found between
a maternal history of previous abortions and asbestos fiber presence in the stillborn tissues (p = 0.007) (Haque et al. 1996). 

Environment Abstracts; MINERAL FIBERS; REPRODUCTION, ANIMAL; ASBESTOS; ENA 07:General