Conference Summary | 2001 Asbestos Health Effects Conference (OSWER)

Note: This information is provided for reference purposes only. Although the information provided here was accurate and current when first created, it is now outdated.

CONFERENCE SUMMARY
The 2001 Asbestos Health Effects Conference is over and the all session presentations have been attached to their respective session leaders below. All presentations are provided in Adobe PDF format. Please download the Adobe Acrobat Reader if you have trouble viewing the presentations.
Note: Many of the PDF files are large in size and may require extra download time.

Poster Abstracts

Audio Recordings (audio)
Many of the presentations from the Asbestos Health Effects Conference were recorded. All files are presented in Microsoft Windows Media format.

Thursday, May 24

Welcome and Introduction:
Kim Fletcher, (audio) Facilitator, Marasco Newton Group
Peter Grevatt, (audio) Environmental Protection Agency, USA

Mineralogy and Exposure Assessment
(Chair, Bruce Case, (audio) McGill University, Canada)
1. John Addison, (audio) John Addison Consultancy, Scotland - "Asbestos": Which physical and mineralogical differences can or should form the basis for categorization, and how well can these categories be reproducibly separated and distinguished in the field?
  Question and Answer Session (audio)
2. Patrick Sébastien, (audio) McGill University, Canada - Measuring asbestos exposure in the field: sampling environments (air, settled dust, materials); sampling strategies; sampling instruments; and current exposures.
  Question and Answer Session (audio)
3. Bruce Case, (audio) McGill University, Canada - Lung-retained fiber as a marker of retained environmental dose: Strategies, advantages, pitfalls, and coordination with epidemiological methods
  Question and Answer Session (audio)
4. Gunnar Hillerdal, (audio) Karolinska Hospital, Sweden - Radiological changes as markers of environmental exposure and environmental risk of lung cancer and mesothelioma
  Handout
Epidemiology
(Chair, Julian Peto, (audio) Institute of Cancer Research, England)
1. John Dement, (audio) Duke University, USA - Differences in carcinogenicity between asbestos types
2. Corbett McDonald, (audio) National Heart and Lung Institute, England - Carcinogenicity of fibrous tremolite in workplace and general environments
  Question and Answer Session (audio)
3. Marcel Goldberg, (audio) INSERM, France - Nonoccupational exposure to mineral fibers – what are the key determinants of exposure related to increased risks for mesothelioma and lung cancer?
  Question & Answer Session (audio)

Friday, May 25
Introduction: Peter Grevatt (audio)

Toxicology, Pathology, Mechanisms
(Chair, Kevin Driscoll, (audio) Proctor and Gamble Pharmaceuticals, USA)
1. Cynthia Timblin, (audio) University of Vermont, USA - Molecular and cellular mechanisms of asbestos fiber toxicity
  Question and Answer Session (audio)
2. Bice Fubini (part 1, 2, 3), (audio) University of Torino, Italy - The physical and chemical properties of asbestos fibers which contribute to biological activity
  Handout
  Question and Answer Session (audio)
3. Gunter Oberdorster, (audio) University of Rochester, USA - Fiber characteristics, environmental and host factors as determinants of asbestos toxicity
  Question and Answer Session (audio)
4. Agnes Kane, (audio) Brown University, USA - Mechanisms of asbestos carcinogenesis
Panel Question and Answer Session (audio)
Roundtable Discussion of Risk Assessment Methods
Session Introduction: Peter Grevatt (audio)
(Chair, Gene McConnell, (audio) Toxicology and Pathology Services Inc., USA)
This panel discussion is intended to examine the implications of recent scientific developments on asbestos risk assessment methodologies. The issues to be addressed by the panel will include: (i) Which types and dimensions of fibers should be enumerated for purposes of risk assessment? (ii) Should different fiber types be treated differently in assessing potential public health risks, and how should the potential risks of exposure to fiber mixtures be addressed? (iii) Are existing exposure assessment methods and exposure-response models adequate for evaluating potential health risks from exposures (including episodic exposures) to difference asbestos fiber types in environmental media, consumer products, and other nonoccupational settings. These and other issues will be addressed by the panel, with an opportunity for input from the audience. Panelists include:
i. Bruce Case, (audio) McGill University, Canada
ii. Julian Peto, (audio) Institute of Cancer Research, England
iii. Kevin Driscoll, (audio) Proctor and Gamble Pharmaceuticals, USA
iv. Aparna Koppikar, (audio) Environmental Protection Agency, USA
v. Mort Lippmann, (audio) New York University, USA
vi. Kenny Crump, (audio) ICF Kaiser Engineers, USA
vii. Leslie Stayner, (audio) National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, USA
Roundtable Discussion (audio)