Malignant mesothelioma in Israel, 1961-1992

José Iscovich*, Alf Fischbein, Joyce Wih-Kushner, Gary Ginsberg, Elihu Richter, Theodore Tulchinsky

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

5 Scopus citations

Abstract

The authors monitored time trends in the incidences and distributions of malignant mesotheliomas during 1961-92 in 223 Israeli persons, including 21 men from a cohort of 3,057 asbestos-cement workers (83,122 person-years). The annual incidence rates of malignant mesotheliomas in Jewish men ranged between 2.5 per million in 1961-82 and 4.6 per million in 1985-92. The male-to-female incidence ratio rose from 1.2 in the 1960s to 2.9 during 1985-92, as a result of increases in risk among Israeli-born males. Females accounted for 37.6% of all cases, after exclusion of the cohort of asbestos workers. Of the 223 cases, 202 (91%) had no indication of direct occupational exposure to asbestos. In Jewish females, the incidence of malignant mesotheliomas did not increase after 1961. The mean age at diagnosis in all cases was lowest in the Israeli-born (53.0 years). High levels of asbestos exposure in the 1970s and the relatively early age of onset of the disease indicate that exposure began at a younger age in Israel than in European countries. Asbestos manufacture and use peaked in Israel during the mid-1970s, so the maximum impact of these trends has yet to be seen.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)157-163
Number of pages7
JournalInternational Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health
Volume5
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - 1999

Keywords

  • Asbestos
  • Epidemiology
  • Immigrants
  • Incidence
  • Israel
  • Mesothelioma
  • Time trends

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