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Women and Mesothelioma Susceptibility

A recent study conducted in Turkey sought to compare the relative risk of women versus men for malignant pleural mesothelioma due to environmental amphibole asbestos exposure. In this particular study, it was concluded that the relative risk was higher for women than for men: 159.8 per 100,000 versus 114.8 per 100,000, respectively. However, in similar studies conducted in North America, Australia, and Europe, results have shown a lower risk for women.

The discrepancy could be attributed to various cultural differences and variations in domestic practices, one example being the Turkish custom of whitewashing homes. Today, most people associate the term "whitewashing" with the application of a coat of white paint. However, in many Mediterranean countries, including Turkey and Greece, the act of whitewashing involves the application of white asbestos-containing soil to the exterior and interior of the home. The result gave the appearance of white plaster, an image associated with the beauty and minimalism exhibited by many of these Mediterranean communities. Sadly, the women who commonly fulfilled this household task were being exposed to the hazardous effects of asbestos, and many of those exposed developed the asbestos-related cancer, mesothelioma. The women who raised their families within these dwellings spent even more time in direct contact with the disturbed mineral. The result was a higher occurrence of asbestos exposure in these parts of the world.

Other concerns regarding an elevated level of susceptibility of mesothelioma in women involve the different breathing patterns of men and women. It has been noted that people who are taller have longer tracheas and larger lungs than those of shorter people. Lung volume can influence fiber disposition and retention, and generally, fiber disposition by impaction, interception, and sedimentation increases in major airways based on lung size. While currently unproven and only speculative, the role of body size may play a role in an increased risk of mesothelioma among women.

People affected by mesothelioma develop malignant cells within the mesothelium, the protective lining that covers most of the body's vital internal organs, including the heart, lungs, and abdominal cavity. Presently, the only proven cause of mesothelioma is exposure to asbestos, a mineral composed of long, fibrous crystals that can cause serious illnesses, including mesothelioma and asbestosis.

While many women in Mediterranean communities were exposed to the dangerous mineral, so were many women throughout North America. Women working in laundry factories came in contact with asbestos that was used as insulation in industrial dryers and cosmetic factory employees inhaled the deadly dust while working with asbestos-containing products, such as cosmetic powder. Outside of the workplace, many women developed mesothelioma as a result of secondary exposure when men working in asbestos-latent environments would unknowingly bring particles home on their clothes.

Cases of female mesothelioma are on the rise in many parts of the world and many researchers are hoping to develop concrete evidence that the female sex is highly susceptible to the disease. While researchers still aren't sure that lung size and capacity will be found to play an active role in the development of mesothelioma, they do know the catalyst of the illness is almost always exposure to asbestos.

Sources:

1. http://www.minesandcommunities.org
2. Smith, D. "Women and Mesothelioma". (2002). Chest: 1885-1886.
3. http://www.chestjournal.org/cgi/content/full/122/6/1885.

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