Abstract
Background: Asbestos mining operations have left South Africa with a legacy of asbestos contamination. Hence asbestos-related diseases continue to be a problem. Currently there are no South African studies that have determined the relationship between asbestos type, fibre sizes or asbestos burden and the development of histological subtypes of mesothelioma. Objectives: The aim of this study was to describe the demographics and asbestos fibre burden of individuals with mesothelioma. The associations between the asbestos type, fibre sizes and asbestos burden and the histological subtype of mesothelioma were also determined. Methods: The records of all deceased miners, ex-miners, Asbestos Relief Trust and Kgalagadi Relief Trust compensation Trust claimants in the PATHAUT database who were histologically diagnosed with mesothelioma for the period Jan 2006 – Dec 2016 (11 years) were reviewed...
M.Tech. (Biomedical Technology)