Fred Underwood asks about asbestos fibers in lung tissues.
 
Asbestosis and mesothelioma studies are quite big business along the Gulf Coast here with the local shipyards and men of the "Golden Generation" passing away. A lot of lawyers have made a lot of money and most recently, a big lawsuit in Corpus Christi Texas accuses screening companies of misdiagnosis.
However, onto things histological: asbestos fibers can be easily seen in an H&E section as brown, cylindrical, and beaded. In our laboratory we digest lung tissue in bleach and then filter the remains through a millipore. Once dried, it can be placed on a slide, the filter dissolved in chloroform and mounted with a coverslip. The fibers are then counted. 
The reference is Roggli VL, Oury, TD and Sporn TA " Pathology of asbestos-associated diseases" 2ed edition Spinger. 2004
 
Mike Titford
USA Pathology
Mobile AL USA
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