16 maart 2012: nu asbest weer vol in het nieuws is - http://www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/11726013/__Asbest_eist_20.000_levens__.html - onderstaand artikel naar voren gehaald. Asbest is blijkbaar verantwoordelijk voor meer vormen van kanker dan alleen mesothelioma - longvlieskanker. Onderaan artikel abstract van Duitse studie uit 2011 die bevestigt dat asbest ook keelkanker kan veroorzaken. Maar de onderzoekers schrijven wel dat moeilijk is aan te tonen dat asbest verantwoordelijk is voor de optredende keelkanker.

9 juni 2006: Bron: Medscape

Medscape komt met een verhaal dat een nieuwe studie zou bewijzen dat mensen die in aanraking zijn geweest of komen met asbest ook, naast mesothelioma, een grotere kans op kanker in het strottenhoofd en zelfs in de maag en darmen zouden hebben. We geven dit artikel hieronder weer maar kunnen de studie zelf niet zo snel vinden. Deze uitkomst zou wellicht van belang kunnen zijn voor de mensen die o.a. het bedrijf Eternit hebben aangeklaagd en zijn er wellicht grotere aantallen mensen die een andere vorm van kanker dan mesothelioma hebben gekregen door het werken en/of in aanraking gekomen zijn met asbest.

Asbestos Linked to Larynx Cancer

By Susan Heavey WASHINGTON (Reuters) Jun 07 - Research has linked another cancer to asbestos, according to a report released on Tuesday that found exposure can cause cancer of the larynx and possibly cancer of the colon, stomach and upper esophagus.
The U.S. Senate had asked the Institute of Medicine to evaluate the link between asbestos and several types of cancers that are currently listed in stalled legislation to create a $140 billion asbestos injury compensation fund. It was unclear whether the findings would compel lawmakers to further amend the bill to exclude some cancers that could not be definitively linked to asbestos.
On Wednesday, the Senate Judiciary Committee plans to hold a hearing to discuss a revised version of the legislation. It would expand eligible claimants to New Yorkers exposed to asbestos from the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center, as well as people exposed to construction debris in last year's Hurricanes Katrina and Rita,
Committee Chairman Sen. Arlen Specter, the Pennsylvania Republican who co-sponsored the bill, said the institute's review of more than 300 studies was helpful but he sought more guidance. "We are asking the Institute of Medicine to give further study and a more definitive answer as to a possible causal connection between asbestos and pharyngeal, stomach and colorectal cancers," he said in a statement.
Asbestos, widely used in building insulation and other products until the mid-1970s, has long been considered a cause of lung cancer and mesothelioma. Inhalation of asbestos fibers has also been linked to other diseases. It may take years after exposure to develop symptoms.

The legislation would remove asbestos injury suits from the courts. Instead, claimants with occupational exposure to asbestos would be compensated from a trust fund financed by asbestos companies and their insurers. Alabama Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions, a member of the committee, said he had not seen the study but any disease not clearly linked to asbestos should not be compensated. "Lots of people have been exposed to asbestos and they will have various diseases in their lifetime. The asbestos fund cannot reimburse them for every illness unless that illness is tied to asbestos exposure," Sessions said.
W.R. Grace and Co. and USG Corp. are among companies backing the measure. Hundreds of thousands of lawsuits have forced at least 70 companies into bankruptcy.
Other companies say they are being asked to contribute too much to the fund, which they say could quickly run out of money and see claims revert to the courts. The bill failed to overcome a procedural hurdle in the Senate and was shelved in February. Specter and Vermont Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy hope the revised version will have more success.
In its report, the Institute said they found consistent evidence of asbestos-linked laryngeal cancer in a number of studies of both workers and the general population. "Inhaled fibers pass through the larynx and may deposit there," the report said, adding "there are reports of fibers and asbestos bodies being recovered from the laryngeal tissues."
According to the American Cancer Society, about 9,500 Americans will be diagnosed this year with cancer of the larynx, which can also be caused by smoking and alcohol abuse.
Asbestos fibers also pass through the colon, rectum, stomach and throat, but it was less clear how they interact with certain cells, Institute of Medicine researchers found. The independent scientific organization did not find enough evidence to conclude asbestos causes cancer in the esophagus.

(Additional reporting by Susan Cornwell)

Am J Ind Med. 2011 Jul;54(7):510-4. doi: 10.1002/ajim.20963. Epub 2011 May 2.

Occupational asbestos exposure as a risk factor for laryngeal carcinoma in a population-based case-control study from Germany.

Ramroth H, Ahrens W, Dietz A, Becher H.

Source

Institute of Public Health, University of Heidelberg, Germany. heribert.ramroth@uni-heidelberg.de

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

As several studies have identified asbestos exposure as an independent occupational risk factor for laryngeal cancer, the aim of our study was to confirm this association.

METHODS:

In a population-based case-control study on laryngeal cancer in South-West Germany occupational exposures and other risk factors were obtained by face-to-face interviews using a detailed standardized questionnaire covering the complete individual working history, supplemented by job-specific questionnaires (JSQ) especially for selected jobs known to entail exposure to asbestos. Detailed exposure information was collected over a wide range of asbestos related jobs and branches and analyzed using different modeling strategies.

RESULTS:

Seventy-three (28.4%) cases and 158 (20.5%) controls reported any exposure to asbestos. Elevated risk estimates for asbestos exposure were found. However, those became substantially reduced after adjustment for smoking and alcohol.

CONCLUSION:

Moderately elevated risks for laryngeal cancer after exposure to asbestos were confirmed. Difficulties in the collection of adequate exposure data were demonstrated.