Asbestos in toys: an exemplary case
OBJECTIVES: DAS was an artificial clay which, once molded, hardened at room temperature. It was largely used as a toy between 1963 and 1975 in Italy, Netherlands, Germany, UK and Norway. This case report describes and reports the presence of asbestos in DAS. METHODS: We investigated the presence of...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nordic Association of Occupational Safety and Health (NOROSH)
2016-01-01
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| Series: | Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: |
https://www.sjweh.fi/show_abstract.php?abstract_id=3542
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| _version_ | 1818921345883308032 |
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| author | Stefano Silvestri Francesco Di Benedetto Corrado Raffaell Angela Veraldi |
| author_facet | Stefano Silvestri Francesco Di Benedetto Corrado Raffaell Angela Veraldi |
| author_sort | Stefano Silvestri |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | OBJECTIVES: DAS was an artificial clay which, once molded, hardened at room temperature. It was largely used as a toy between 1963 and 1975 in Italy, Netherlands, Germany, UK and Norway. This case report describes and reports the presence of asbestos in DAS. METHODS: We investigated the presence of asbestos in DAS using light and electron microscopy on samples of the original material. We searched administrative documents at the State Archive of Turin and conducted interviews with past employees on annual production, suppliers, and purchasers. RESULTS: The analytical tests confirmed the presence of asbestos fibers in DAS: about 30% of its composition. The documents found at the State Archive confirmed the annual purchase of hundreds tons of raw asbestos from the Amiantifera di Balangero, the Italian asbestos mine. DAS was found to be used also within craftsmanship. CONCLUSIONS: Asbestos fibers in DAS may have caused exposure to production workers and a variety of users, including artists, teachers, and children. Over 13 years, about 55 million packs of DAS were produced and sold. The number of users is difficult to estimate but may have been in the order of millions. In Italy, a specific question on the use of DAS has been included in a routinely used mesothelioma questionnaire. As DAS was exported to other countries, our findings suggest that mesothelioma patients should be asked about their past use of DAS, in particular individuals not reporting a clear past asbestos exposure. Additionally, this discovery shows the incompleteness of records on asbestos uses and suggests to test items, including toys, imported from countries where asbestos is not forbidden. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-20T01:36:11Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-5eb2f4cc492d4527920fd0a242fadf9b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0355-3140 1795-990X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-20T01:36:11Z |
| publishDate | 2016-01-01 |
| publisher | Nordic Association of Occupational Safety and Health (NOROSH) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-5eb2f4cc492d4527920fd0a242fadf9b2022-12-21T19:58:00ZengNordic Association of Occupational Safety and Health (NOROSH)Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health0355-31401795-990X2016-01-01421808510.5271/sjweh.35423542Asbestos in toys: an exemplary caseStefano Silvestri0Francesco Di BenedettoCorrado RaffaellAngela VeraldiInstitute for Study and Prevention of Cancer Via delle Oblate 2, 50141 Florence, Italy.OBJECTIVES: DAS was an artificial clay which, once molded, hardened at room temperature. It was largely used as a toy between 1963 and 1975 in Italy, Netherlands, Germany, UK and Norway. This case report describes and reports the presence of asbestos in DAS. METHODS: We investigated the presence of asbestos in DAS using light and electron microscopy on samples of the original material. We searched administrative documents at the State Archive of Turin and conducted interviews with past employees on annual production, suppliers, and purchasers. RESULTS: The analytical tests confirmed the presence of asbestos fibers in DAS: about 30% of its composition. The documents found at the State Archive confirmed the annual purchase of hundreds tons of raw asbestos from the Amiantifera di Balangero, the Italian asbestos mine. DAS was found to be used also within craftsmanship. CONCLUSIONS: Asbestos fibers in DAS may have caused exposure to production workers and a variety of users, including artists, teachers, and children. Over 13 years, about 55 million packs of DAS were produced and sold. The number of users is difficult to estimate but may have been in the order of millions. In Italy, a specific question on the use of DAS has been included in a routinely used mesothelioma questionnaire. As DAS was exported to other countries, our findings suggest that mesothelioma patients should be asked about their past use of DAS, in particular individuals not reporting a clear past asbestos exposure. Additionally, this discovery shows the incompleteness of records on asbestos uses and suggests to test items, including toys, imported from countries where asbestos is not forbidden. https://www.sjweh.fi/show_abstract.php?abstract_id=3542 asbestoscase reportchrysotilemesotheliomasurveillanceteacherasbestos-containing producttoyartistchildhood exposureteaching itemepidemiology |
| spellingShingle | Stefano Silvestri Francesco Di Benedetto Corrado Raffaell Angela Veraldi Asbestos in toys: an exemplary case Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health asbestos case report chrysotile mesothelioma surveillance teacher asbestos-containing product toy artist childhood exposure teaching item epidemiology |
| title | Asbestos in toys: an exemplary case |
| title_full | Asbestos in toys: an exemplary case |
| title_fullStr | Asbestos in toys: an exemplary case |
| title_full_unstemmed | Asbestos in toys: an exemplary case |
| title_short | Asbestos in toys: an exemplary case |
| title_sort | asbestos in toys an exemplary case |
| topic | asbestos case report chrysotile mesothelioma surveillance teacher asbestos-containing product toy artist childhood exposure teaching item epidemiology |
| url |
https://www.sjweh.fi/show_abstract.php?abstract_id=3542
|
| work_keys_str_mv | AT stefanosilvestri asbestosintoysanexemplarycase AT francescodibenedetto asbestosintoysanexemplarycase AT corradoraffaell asbestosintoysanexemplarycase AT angelaveraldi asbestosintoysanexemplarycase |