THE LUNG CANSER AND MESOTHELIOMA IN TOWNS WITH ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE TO ERIONITE IN THE CAPPADOCIAN REGION, TURKEY

10th International Multidisciplinary Scientific GeoConference - SGEM2010, www.sgem.org, SGEM2010 Conference Proceedings/ ISBN 10: 954-91818-1-2, June 20-26, 2010, Vol. 1, 173-182 pp

ABSTRACT
Our previous study demonstrated the presence of environmental erionite fiber exposure
in The Tuzköy town in Nevşehir located in the Cappadocian Region, Turkey. The aim
of this study was to investigate whether environmental erionite exposure increases the
incidence of lung cancer and mesothelioma. Method: One hundred and ninty-two deaths
from mesothelioma and lung cancer living in the center or in the towns of Nevşehir
were retrospectively (between 1999 and 2003) analyzed. The mortality of lung cancer
and mesothelioma were calculated. Results: The mortality of lung cancer and
mesothelioma were 162 and 30, respectively, for the whole population of Nevşehir;
while they were 2 and 14 in the Tuzköy. The incidence was strikingly high for
mesothelioma in the Tuzköy, another town in Nevşehir where an analysis for erionite
could not be performed. The mortality from mesothelioma in the Tuzköy was 87.5%
and it was approximately 50% of Nevşehir’s mortality related to mesothelioma.
Conclusion: The mortality of mesothelioma and lung cancer in the Tuzköy were higher
than those of the general population in Turkey, suggesting a role of environmental
erionite exposure in lung cancer and mesothelioma.

Keywords: Erionite, Environmental exposure, Lung cancer, Mesothelioma