RESUMEN
Since many years research programs have been set up to study the relationship between asbestos occupational exposure and development of asbestos-related lung diseases in electricity production plants workers. In the year 2000 a new study of asbestos-related lung abnormalities prevalence in italian geothermal and idrothermal power plant maintenance workers was planned. The cohort comprised 3891 subjects. To meet the criteria, only workers in service for at least six months before 1990 and still in service at power plants in May 2000 were included in the study; chest X-rays were taken and made anonymous. Independent reading of X-rays was made by two groups of specialists, and a third reading of selected discordant readings X-rays was made by another group of specialists. A further diagnostic protocol (including HRCT) was planned when two out of three readings showed the presence of asbestos related lung abnormalities. The analysis was made on 3063 subjects (78.7% of the cohort). The number of asbestos-related abnormalities in two out of three X-ray readings was 122 (4%). The further diagnostic protocol, that included occupational and pathological anamnesis and HRCT, confirmed an asbestos-related occupational lung abnormalities in 41 cases (1.3% out of 3063 subjects). The prevalence of asbestos-related lung abnormalities among 3063 power plant maintenance workers was 1.3%. If all the cases of lung abnormalities so far detected (data are still provisional) had developed only in the power plant environment, and not in previous working activities, the prevalence of lung abnormalities would be extremely low. These data support the evidence of limited exposure levels to asbestos in this working environment And bears witness to the success of preventive measures to control this specific risk.