Pleural Plaques and Cigarette Smoking in Asbestos Workers

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Abstract
In a survey of 45 men aged .gtoreq. 40 yr who had worked .gtoreq. 5 yr in an asbestos manufacturing plant, the prevalence of pleural plaques was studied with respect to age, duration of asbestos exposure, estimated cumulative asbestos dose and smoking habit. Plaques were found in 38-53% of the men, depending on the interpretation of the chest film reader. Cigarette habit was the most important factor; the prevalence was lowest in nonsmokers, intermediate in current smokers and high in ex-smokers. There was some confounding of this relationship by estimated cumulative asbestos dose but it did not seem to be sufficient to explain fully the relationship between prevalence of plaques and smoking habit. Both factors must be considered in studies of the risk of pleural plaques in asbestos workers.

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