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Hindi Research Article
Relationship between the Asbestos Cumulative Exposure Index (ACEI) and the Latency Period of Asbestos Related Diseases (ARD) within an Italian Study Group of Ex-Asbestos Workers
Giovanni Maria Ferri*, Chiara Monica Guastadisegno, Graziana Intranuovo, Vito Luisi, Domenica Cavone, Brunella Licchelli, Elena Viola Buononato, Linda Macinagrossa and Raffaele Molinini
Department of Interdisciplinary Medicine (DIM), Section B. Ramazzini, Unit of Occupational Medicine, University Hospital Policlinico - John XXIII in Bari, Italy
- *Corresponding Author:
- Ferri GM
Department of Interdisciplinary Medicine (DIM)
Section B. Ramazzini, Unit of Occupational Medicine
University Hospital Policlinico - John XXIII in Bari
Piazza G. Cesare, 1170124 Bari, Italy
Tel: +39805478212
E-mail: giovannimaria.ferri@uniba.it
Received date: July 11, 2016; Accepted date: July 30, 2016; Published date: August 5, 2016
Citation: Ferri GM, Guastadisegno CM, Intranuovo G, Luisi V, Cavone D, et al. (2016) Relationship between the Asbestos Cumulative Exposure Index (ACEI) and the Latency Period of Asbestos Related Diseases (ARD) within an Italian Study Group of Ex-Asbestos Workers. Occup Med Health Aff 4:243. doi: 10.4172/2329-6879.1000243
Copyright: © 2016 Ferri GM, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Abstract
Objectives: The association between asbestos exposure, measured by mean of Asbestos Cumulative Exposure Index (ACEI) and the latency period of non-malignant asbestos-related diseases (ARD) diagnosed according to the American Thoracic Society (ATS) criteria was studied.
Methods: 306 exposed asbestos workers in Bari, Italy, were included in a health surveillance program. By means of a standardized questionnaire we assessed asbestos exposure through ACEI. Latency period of Asbestos Related Diseases (ARD) was also assessed.
Results: We found a significant inverse correlation between latency and ACEI increasing with ARD severity. ACEI and 30-35 years of age at time of first exposure were inversely associated with the latency period. The risk of ARD increased from baseline to the 2nd follow-up and among subjects exposed for the first time before 1960.
Conclusions: The most important factors that caused a reduction in the latency period were the year of first exposure and the ACEI score while smoking habits did not show to play a significant role.
