OBJECTIVETo analyze asbestos exposure level between 1984 and 2010 in a district of malignant mesothelioma with clustering incidence in Zhejiang Province, in order to improve the recognizing and early diagnosis of malignant mesothelioma, protect the health of workers.

METHODSMonitoring data of total asbestos dust concentration in the air of workplace from 1984 to 2010 in asbestos textile enterprises, family hand spinning operation, brake production, and asbestos board production in Zhejiang Province were collected in the local CDC. A total of 766 TWA copies of mass concentration were collected, and 1233 copies of MAC data. Asbestos mass concentration and fibre counting concentration of 29 points of family hand spinning operation were parallel determinated in the same time and the same sampling point. Raw asesbtos materials and dust composition of local asbestos processing corporations were collected and analyzed using X-ray diffraction method.

RESULTSRaw materials of asbestos used between 1984 and 2010 in this area were chrysotile from Sichuan, Qinghai, Xinjiang, Russia, Zimbabwe, and some were mixed with SiO2, CaCO3 and other impurities. Raw materials used in asbestos board production were blue asbestos. Dust concentration between 1960s and 1980s in asbestos processing plants far exceeded the national standard. After then the dust concentration decreased significantly, but still higher than the national standard. 95.2% of air dust concentrations in the workplaces of asbestos factories exceeded the standard, and dust concentrations of workplaces of raw material, spinning, weaving, carding and labor insurance were above 90% in which carding work had the highest median concentration. 37.9% of dust mass concentrations in hand spinning work exceeded the standard where textile machinery side had the highest value. Beating job in asbestos board manufacturing and grinding job in brake production had higher concentrations.

CONCLUSIONSMost of production technologies in asbestos processing industry exceed the standard level, indicating that the workers were at risk for malignant mesothelioma and other asbestos related diseases, which should draw high attention.