Short fiber tremolite free chrysotile mesothelioma cohort revealed

Abstract

In 1995, Dell and Teta published a cohort mortality study of asbestos molding compound workers at a Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) plastics manufacturing plant in Bound Brook, New Jersey. They reported that the factory workers were exposed to "asbestos (mostly chrysotile)," implying that the asbestos used at the Bound Brook plant occasionally contained amphiboles. However, UCC statements and testimony from recent litigation indicate that the Bound Brook plant exclusively used short fiber chrysotile asbestos. These recent documents also point to lower exposures than those reported by Dell and Teta. This chrysotile-only cohort should be included in analyses of chrysotile potency. Am. J. Ind. Med. 59:196-199, 2016.