Relationship between number of asbestos bodies in autopsy lung and pleural plaques on chest X-ray film.

We investigated the relationship between number of asbestos bodies and pleural plaques. Using sodium hypochrolite, we examined 400 autopsy lungs and could detect 71 cases whose asbestos bodies were significantly high. We checked pleural plaques on chest x-ray films of these 71 cases and compared the exact plaque at autopsy. By the criteria of Askergren and Szamosi, we classified these into three groups (probable, definite, definite with calcification). This classification is consistent with the pleural plaques found at autopsy. Cases whose pleural plaques were definite (thick) had many more asbestos bodies than indefinite cases. As for occupational histories, there were 23 cases who worked in Japanese Naval shipyards before and during World War II, 14 others in various shipyards, and 14 others who also had a history of asbestos exposure. These 51 patients died more than 30 years after the first asbestos exposure. Twenty had no definite asbestos exposure.