Asbestos bodies: clues to the mechanism of asbestos toxicity?

Inhalation of asbestos fibers is also associated with an increased risk of lung cancer, especially in cigarette smokers, and with diffuse malignant mesothelioma arising in the pleural, pericardial, or peritoneal linings.1 The presence of asbestos bodies in sputum or in the lung parenchyma is a histopathologic hallmark of exposure to asbestos fibers.2 The mechanisms leading to the development of asbestos-related lung diseases are complex.3 Both physical and chemical properties of asbestos fibers are related to biologic reactivity: fiber dimensions and geometry, chemical composition, biopersistence in the lungs, and surface reactivity.