BACKGROUND. The industrial area of "Bagnoli Coroglio" in Naples municipality was defined as a "polluted site of national concern for remediation" in 2000. A steel and a cement plants and an asbestos-cement (Eternit) and a chemical industries operated in the area. AIMS. To estimate pleural mesothelioma incidence in the districts of Naples around the industrial area. METHODS. The area potentially affected by the industrial emissions was identified by modelling; environmental asbestos exposure was categorized in two levels: higher in subarea 2 and lower in subarea 1. Cases of pleural mesothelioma (2001-2007) were mapped according to residence at diagnosis; those included in the occupational cohorts of the asbestos-cement and steel plants and those with ascertained occupational exposure in the Mesothelioma Registry were excluded. Standardized Incidence Ratios (SIRs) were computed for overall area and subareas with respect to municipal rates. RESULTS. At 2001 census 157,495 subjects lived in the study area; 12 women and 34 men of them had a diagnosis of pleural mesothelioma (2001-2007). A significant increase was observed among men in the overall study area (SIR=1.89) and in subarea 1 (SIR=2.04). Among women in both subareas the increases were not significant. A not significant Risk Rate of 1.15 was observed in women of subarea 2 with respect to subarea 1. CONCLUSIONS. In the territory close to the industrial area increased pleural mesothelioma incidence (statistically significant among men and not significant in women) was found. In the subarea with a higher estimated asbestos exposure, SIR was not significantly increased, but a risk ratio higher than 1, based on 3 observed cases, was found in women with respect to the other subarea. Two of these 3 women were less than 50 years old. Despite the low power, the study indicates a possible impact of environmental asbestos exposure in the population resident close to an asbestos-cement industry.
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