We report two cases of pleural mesothelioma occurring simultaneously in a sugar refinery worker exposed to asbestos fibers and his wife, who used to wash his working clothes for at least 22 years. A review of the literature is also presented. While demonstrating the carcinogenic risk of asbestos used in sugar refinery plants, our data and those of the literature in no way reflect the real dimension of the risk. Further research will be necessary to assess this risk.
MalkerH.R., McLaughlinJ.K., MalkerB.K.: Occupational risks for pleural mesothelioma in Sweden. J Natl Cancer Inst, 74: 61–66, 1985.
4.
MaltoniC., PintoC., ValentiD., CarnuccioR., AmaducciE., MinardiF.: Mesotheliomas following exposure to asbestos used in sugar refineries: report of 12 Italian cases. Med Lav, 86: 478–483, 1995.
5.
AmaducciE., ValentiD., RapezziR., Di BisceglieM., PintoC., MaltoniC.: Quindicesimo caso di mesotelioma tra i lavoratori di zuccherifici della regione Emilia Romagna. Eur J Oncol, 3: 671–673, 1998.
