Med Lav
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In many previous studies, the asbestos fibres retained in the lung were regarded as a good index of cumulative occupational asbestos exposure. Twelve workers suffering from asbestos-related diseases and had been employed in an asbestos-cement factory operating from 1961 to 1994 underwent post mortem investigations in the course of a criminal law suit. ⋯ This study, which was numerically the biggest ever performed in Italy for this category of workers, confirms a wide range of total asbestos fibre burden in heavily occupationally exposed workers and showed that of the asbestos-related diseases, the highest lung concentrations of asbestos fibres were reached in cases of mesothelioma. It was also observed that almost the entire lung burden consists of only amphibole fibres, all exceeding 1 million per gramme of dry tissue. This study tested a synthetic cumulative occupational exposure index, which appears to be well correlated to the level of exposure established by biological analysis.
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With these pages La Medicina del Lavoro starts its 100th volume, so we have yet another historical occasion to celebrate the oldest occupational health journal in the world that is still publishing. Over the last few years we have had many occasions to celebrate, for example several anniversaries of the Journal (the 80th volume in 1989, 90 years in 1992, 100 years in 2001); the centenary of the foundation of the Clinica del Lavoro "Luigi Devoto" of Milan in 2001; the celebration of the 300 years' anniversary of the publication of De Morbis Artificum Diatriba by Bernardino Ramazzini, and we obviously hope to continue for many years to come in this positive outlook. One hundred volumes makes for a very large collection, with the highs and lows ofthe Journal's history (here we mean the variations in number of pages and physical size of the Journal). ⋯ The first few years of the Journal were difficult ones (with only three volumes published in 10 years) to the effect that events such as the First International Congress on Occupational Diseases (Milano, 1906), the foundation of the International Commission for Occupational Health (1906), the First National Italian Congress on Occupational Diseases (Palermo, 1907), and above all the inauguration of the Clinica del Lavoro in Milano (20 March, 1910) are not reported in the Journal, which by 1911 had resumed publication but had moved to Milan. Many years have passed since those first three volumes and in the meantime we have moved on to another century and another millenium: this brings new opportunities, new responsibilities, new perspectives, new objectives, but also new subscribers, new contributors, new authors, and new topics. We would like to conclude by repeating the undertaking made "20 volumes ago": The Editorial Board wishes to thank everyone and take the opportunity to renew our unfaltering commitment to work well by ensuring our full respect for authors and readers so as to contribute, via the pages of La Medicina del Lavoro, to spreading love and knowledge of our discipline.