Translocation of inhaled asbestos fibers from the lung to other tissues.

To investigate translocation of asbestos fibers, tissue samples from 13 North American insulators were examined, using electron microscopy. Of the two major types of asbestos, chrysotile and amosite, chrysotile was found to be much more active in the translocation than amosite, being the fiber mainly detected in mesotheliomas and hyaline plaques.