Prevalence of anti-nuclear autoantibodies in subjects exposed to natural asbestiform fibers: a cross-sectional study

Caterina Ledda,Rosario Caltabiano,Carla Loreto,Diana Cinà,Paola Senia,Andrea Musumeci,Vincenzo Ricceri,Cristoforo Pomara,Venerando Rapisarda

doi:10.1080/1547691x.2017.1415398

Abstract

Fluoro-edenite (FE) is an asbestiform mineral fiber spotted in the lava rocks excavated from a stone quarry in Biancavilla (Italy). The derived material had been employed locally for building purposes. Previous studies found evidence that exposure to asbestos may induce autoimmunity, with frequency of anti-nuclear autoantibodies (ANA). The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between FE exposure and autoimmune responses in an exposed population. For the study, 60 subjects living in the area of Biancavilla and 60 subjects as control group were randomly invited to participate. A free medical check, including spirometry and a high-resolution computer tomography chest scan, was given to all participants. ANA were determined by indirect immunofluorescence. On medical check, no subject showed any sign and/or symptoms of illness. Prevalence for samples positive to ANA were 70% (n = 42) and 25% (n = 15), respectively, for exposed and non-exposed subjects (p < 0.05). The presence of pleural plaques (PP) was found in 21 (30%) of the exposed subjects and in 2 (3%) of the non-exposed participants. PP subjects were always ANAs positive. In conclusion, as already it was observed with exposure to asbestos fibers, levels of ANA seemed to significantly increase in subjects who had been exposed to FE. Furthermore, all subjects showing PP were also ANA-positive. This first finding in subjects exposed to FE should encourage researchers to further investigate associations between autoimmune unbalance and environmental exposure to asbestiform fibers.

Highlights

Natural asbestiform fibers are called “naturally occurring asbestos” (NOA) as natural components of soils or rocks (Lee et al 2008; Wei et al 2012; Abakay et al 2016)
Environmental investigations have shown the presence of an asbestiform mineral fiber, called fluoro-edenite (FE), in the lava rocks excavated from a local stone quarry
Forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), peak expiratory flow (PEF), maximal expiratory flow rate at 25–75% of the vital capacity (MEF25–75%), and total lung capacity (TLC) were measured and expressed as a proportion of European Coal and Steel Community reference values adjusted for individual characteristics recorded at the time of testing (Miller et al 2005)

Summary

Introduction

Natural asbestiform fibers are called “naturally occurring asbestos” (NOA) as natural components of soils or rocks (Lee et al 2008; Wei et al 2012; Abakay et al 2016). The release of NOA fibers into the air by human work activities or natural weathering processes is a potential risk for the general population These fibers have been detected in various parts worldwide (Sullivan 2007; Bayram et al 2013; Abakay et al 2016; Ledda, Loreto, Bracci, et al 2016) such as Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, Corsica, New Caledonia, Afghanistan, Russia, Montana (USA) and Italy (Paoletti et al 2000; Comba et al 2003; Sullivan 2007; Bayram et al 2013; Miozzi et al 2016). FE has been classified as carcinogenic to humans by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC; Lyon, France) (WHO 2015)

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