Radiographic Changes in Colombian Asbestos Factory Workers

Arthur L. Frank; Guillermo Villamizar; Jose Gabriel Bustillo Pereira

doi:10.5334/aogh.2634

Radiographic Changes in Colombian Asbestos Factory Workers

Annals of Global Health

Volume 86 (2020): Issue 1

By: Arthur L. Frank, Guillermo Villamizar and Jose Gabriel Bustillo Pereira

Open Access

|Jan 2020

Abstract

Background: Until recently, Colombia has been a country actively using asbestos. A major factory in Bogota manufactures friction products.

Objective: To determine if the use of chrysotile asbestos in a friction products facility leads to workers developing disease.

Methods: One hundred forty-eight factory workers, former workers, or retirees volunteered for X-ray and pulmonary function testing after informed consent. X-rays were read by two readers who needed to agree on positive findings.

Results: Nineteen of the 148 X-rays had changes consistent with the known prior exposure to asbestos, mostly parenchymal in nature. Pulmonary function was not altered in most of the studied population.

Conclusion: Asbestos disease is clearly present among Colombian asbestos factory workers, as is seen in other exposed populations around the world.

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Articles in this issue

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5334/aogh.2634 | Journal eISSN: 2214-9996

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Language: English

Published on: Jan 3, 2020

Published by: Ubiquity Press

In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services

Publication frequency: 1 issue per year

© 2020 Arthur L. Frank, Guillermo Villamizar, Jose Gabriel Bustillo Pereira, published by Ubiquity Press
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Volume 86 (2020): Issue 1