The presence of asbestos bodies in induced sputum as an indicator of asbestos exposure

BACKGROUND: Very few references on the usability of presence of asbestos bodies (AB) in induced sputum as an indicator of asbestos exposure are to be found in the scientific literature. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to prove whether the presence of AB in induced sputum is a valid assessor of asbestos exposure. METHOD: This was achieved by comparing the above-mentioned method with the search for AB in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid and repeating the trials over time in order to study the reproducibility of the results. Results: There was good agreement of results for the presence/absence of AB in induced sputum and in BAL among subjects who were environmentally exposed and those with 'a medium-high risk occupational exposure (100%), and poor agreement (66%) among subjects with a low risk occupational exposure. Agreement of results regarding the amount of particles per test was low. The method showed a sufficient reproducibility level (Cohen K=0.5). CONCLUSION: Although the presence of asbestos bodies in induced sputum cannot replace bronchoalveolar lavage, it can however be used as a screening test for selecting subjects who should undergo BAL.