The influence of occupational and environmental asbestos exposure on the incidence of malignant mesothelioma in Connecticut.

Medical, occupational and demographic data were collected for 229 cases of malignant mesothelioma and 38 other pleural tumours, their spouses, and 605 controls. Methods were developed for classifying subjects into probable asbestos exposure categories. Although disease incidence rates exhibited a rapid increase from 1955 to 1977, there remains a serious question of diagnostic reliability. A case review is being undertaken.