markdcatlin | Asbestos and GI Tract Cancer, Stephen Levin, MD 2009 @markdcatlin | Uploaded March 2016 | Updated October 2024, 6 hours ago.
This is a short clip from the video of the December 2, 2009 honoring of Stephen M. Levin, MD with the international Collegium Ramazzini’s prestigious Irving J. Selikoff Memorial Award in New York.
Studies of asbestos workers suggest that asbestos exposure might be associated with gastrointestinal (esophagus and stomach) and colorectal (colon and rectum) cancers. However, the evidence is unclear. This summary is from the ATSDR website at atsdr.cdc.gov/asbestos/asbestos/health_effects . These studies showed small increases in the number of deaths from gastrointestinal and colorectal cancers. For example, among 17,800 insulation workers, 99 people died from these cancers, even though the rate in the general population is expected to be 59.4 deaths. Among 2,500 asbestos textile workers, 26 people died from these cancers, but 17.1 deaths were expected. Several other studies have shown similar patterns. However, other mortality studies of asbestos workers found no significantly increased risk for gastrointestinal or colorectal cancers. Other reviewers found no causal relationship between workers' exposure to asbestos and gastrointestinal cancer. Some evidence shows that short-term (acute) oral exposure to asbestos might bring on precursor lesions of colon cancer, and that long-term (chronic) oral exposure might increase the incidence of gastrointestinal tumors. Most epidemiologic studies to see if cancer incidence is higher than expected in places with high levels of asbestos in drinking water detected increases in cancer deaths or incidence rates at one or more tissue sites (mostly in the gastrointestinal tract).
Some of these increases were statistically significant. However, the magnitudes of increases in cancer incidence tended to be rather small and might be related to other risk factors such as smoking. Also, these studies were conducted on worker populations, with generally higher exposures; still, only small and inconsistent elevations have been reported.
This entire video , Stephen Levin, MD, honored with the Collegium Ramazzini's Irving J. Selikoff Memorial Award in 2009.(57 minutes) can be viewed at youtu.be/N5-H15WH8Qs : “This prestigious award is given periodically to a scientist or humanist whose studies and achievements have contributed to the protection of workers’ health and the environment,” explained Dr. Philip Landrigan in presenting the award, which has been conferred only five times in the academy’s 27-year history.
Dr. Levin (1941 - 2012) was an internationally known expert in occupational medicine and asbestos related disease and Dr. Levin is the longtime medical director of the Mount Sinai- Irving J. Selikoff Center for Occupational & Environmental Medicine and prior director of the World Trade Center medical monitoring and treatment programs. He was Professor of Occupational Medicine in the Department of Preventive Medicine of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. He graduated in 1967 from the New York University School of Medicine. After a decade of practice in General Medicine in Pennsylvania, he came to Mount Sinai to receive his training in Occupational Medicine. Following completion of his training, he joined the Mount Sinai faculty. He spent the remainder of his career at Mount Sinai, rose through the academic ranks and was promoted to full Professor in 2011. He was Co-Director of the WTC Worker and Volunteer Medical Screening Program, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which provided medical assessments, diagnostic referrals and occupational health education for over 20,000 workers and volunteers who performed rescue and recovery work at the WTC site. He served as Principal Investigator and Director of the Data and Coordination Center for the federally funded WTC Medical Monitoring Program that provides repeat examinations for the WTC responder cohort. Dr. Levin also served on the Science Advisory Board for the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO). ADAO created a short memorial video tribute to Dr. Levin which can be seen at youtu.be/kMu-lNHNt-o . For more information about the Collegium Ramazzini, visit their website at collegiumramazzini.org/index.asp. To learn more about the good work of the Mt Sinai Selikoff Centers for Occupational Health, go to their website at mountsinai.org/patient-care/service-areas/occupational-health . Thanks to Dr. Levin's wife, Robin Dintiman, for providing this video and allowing it to be posted.
This is a short clip from the video of the December 2, 2009 honoring of Stephen M. Levin, MD with the international Collegium Ramazzini’s prestigious Irving J. Selikoff Memorial Award in New York.
Studies of asbestos workers suggest that asbestos exposure might be associated with gastrointestinal (esophagus and stomach) and colorectal (colon and rectum) cancers. However, the evidence is unclear. This summary is from the ATSDR website at atsdr.cdc.gov/asbestos/asbestos/health_effects . These studies showed small increases in the number of deaths from gastrointestinal and colorectal cancers. For example, among 17,800 insulation workers, 99 people died from these cancers, even though the rate in the general population is expected to be 59.4 deaths. Among 2,500 asbestos textile workers, 26 people died from these cancers, but 17.1 deaths were expected. Several other studies have shown similar patterns. However, other mortality studies of asbestos workers found no significantly increased risk for gastrointestinal or colorectal cancers. Other reviewers found no causal relationship between workers' exposure to asbestos and gastrointestinal cancer. Some evidence shows that short-term (acute) oral exposure to asbestos might bring on precursor lesions of colon cancer, and that long-term (chronic) oral exposure might increase the incidence of gastrointestinal tumors. Most epidemiologic studies to see if cancer incidence is higher than expected in places with high levels of asbestos in drinking water detected increases in cancer deaths or incidence rates at one or more tissue sites (mostly in the gastrointestinal tract).
Some of these increases were statistically significant. However, the magnitudes of increases in cancer incidence tended to be rather small and might be related to other risk factors such as smoking. Also, these studies were conducted on worker populations, with generally higher exposures; still, only small and inconsistent elevations have been reported.
This entire video , Stephen Levin, MD, honored with the Collegium Ramazzini's Irving J. Selikoff Memorial Award in 2009.(57 minutes) can be viewed at youtu.be/N5-H15WH8Qs : “This prestigious award is given periodically to a scientist or humanist whose studies and achievements have contributed to the protection of workers’ health and the environment,” explained Dr. Philip Landrigan in presenting the award, which has been conferred only five times in the academy’s 27-year history.
Dr. Levin (1941 - 2012) was an internationally known expert in occupational medicine and asbestos related disease and Dr. Levin is the longtime medical director of the Mount Sinai- Irving J. Selikoff Center for Occupational & Environmental Medicine and prior director of the World Trade Center medical monitoring and treatment programs. He was Professor of Occupational Medicine in the Department of Preventive Medicine of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. He graduated in 1967 from the New York University School of Medicine. After a decade of practice in General Medicine in Pennsylvania, he came to Mount Sinai to receive his training in Occupational Medicine. Following completion of his training, he joined the Mount Sinai faculty. He spent the remainder of his career at Mount Sinai, rose through the academic ranks and was promoted to full Professor in 2011. He was Co-Director of the WTC Worker and Volunteer Medical Screening Program, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which provided medical assessments, diagnostic referrals and occupational health education for over 20,000 workers and volunteers who performed rescue and recovery work at the WTC site. He served as Principal Investigator and Director of the Data and Coordination Center for the federally funded WTC Medical Monitoring Program that provides repeat examinations for the WTC responder cohort. Dr. Levin also served on the Science Advisory Board for the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO). ADAO created a short memorial video tribute to Dr. Levin which can be seen at youtu.be/kMu-lNHNt-o . For more information about the Collegium Ramazzini, visit their website at collegiumramazzini.org/index.asp. To learn more about the good work of the Mt Sinai Selikoff Centers for Occupational Health, go to their website at mountsinai.org/patient-care/service-areas/occupational-health . Thanks to Dr. Levin's wife, Robin Dintiman, for providing this video and allowing it to be posted.
