Topographic and size distribution of asbestos bodies in exposed human lungs.

The concentration and the length distribution of asbestos bodies in exposed human lungs have been determined in autopsy material by scanning electron microscopy after two different methods for preparing the tissue samples. The results demonstrate that the number of bodies vary between the right and left lung, as well as between the different lobes of a lung. The length distribution between the different lungs was, on the average, more or less the same; however small differences occurred between the different lobes. It was further shown that drying the tissue pieces before the analyses affected both the number and the length of the bodies. Examples of different types of asbestos bodies are presented, and their possible biological activity is discussed.