ASBESTOS FIBRE IN THE LUNG AND MESOTHELIOMA A RE‐EXAMINATION OF THE MALMÖ MATERIAL

An examination of general lung tissue with an electron microscope for asbestos fibres is reported. The 65 cases examined consisted of 33 cases of pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma and 32 control cases. Asbestos fibres were found to be more abundant in the mesothelioma cases than in the controls. The most common fibres detected in the mesothelioma group were amphibole asbestos while chrysotile was the more predominant fibre detected in the controls. The difference in asbestos fibre content obtained between the mesothelioma group and controls is larger than the difference obtained in asbestos body counts made with an optical microscope on tissue from the same cases. In those cases found to be possitive for asbestos bodies by light microscopy amphibole asbestos fibres were the predominant fibre type detected.