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Mark Germine
University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey— New Jersey Medical School Newark

JAMA. 1988;259(4):520.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

To the Editor.

—In a recent letter, Sichletidis et al¹ report a case of malignant pleural mesothelioma from Metsovo, Greece, which they suggest is an area of no known asbestos exposure and with no previous documentation of an increased incidence of mesothelioma. However, exposure to fibrous tremolite in this area has been well documented and has been specifically connected to both pleural calcifications and mesothelioma in Metsovo.^2,3 The report of mesothelioma and pleural calcifications in the same individual is important in that it supports a common etiology, as pointed out by the authors.

Evidence has already been presented suggesting that the occurrence of pleural calcifications and the increased incidence of mesothelioma in the Metsovo area are related to use of a tremolite-rich soil for interior whitewash.³ To test the hypothesis that such whitewash is an etiologic agent in mesothelioma, optical microscopical analysis was performed on samples of . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

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