Low Level Asbestos Exposure Research

The Asbestos and Silica Safety and Eradication Agency (ASSEA) has identified the potential association between low-level asbestos exposure and the development of asbestos-related diseases (ARDs) as an issue that deserves research. We wish to further investigate the nature and strength of that association

Exposure to asbestos is well established as a health hazard, being associated with diseases such as mesothelioma and lung cancer. Asbestos is a Class 1 carcinogen, with no know safe threshold for exposure. Low-level asbestos exposure is defined as exposure to asbestos at levels that are at, or below, the current Australian workplace exposure standard, which is 0.1 fibres per millilitre (f/mL) of air, measured as an 8-hour time-weighted average.

ASSEA commissioned a rapid review of literature describing the risk of lung cancer and mesothelioma associated with non-occupational, low-level exposures to asbestos. Based on 34 reports (representing 19 unique studies) that review found evidence of an association between low-level, non-occupational asbestos exposure and increased mesothelioma risk. The evidence for an association with lung cancer was less consistent.

The review gives rise to the possibility of determining a dose-response function for low-level exposure in non-occupational settings. ASSEA now seeks the services of a Supplier