Published By: Scientia
Contributors: Dr Jean Pfau
Introduction
The health hazards associated with occupational asbestos exposure are widely acknowledged and extensively studied. However, emerging evidence suggests that prolonged exposure to environmental asbestos may trigger serious and debilitating autoimmune conditions, although the mechanistic actions remain poorly understood. Dr Jean Pfau and colleagues in the Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology at Montana State University, Bozeman, USA, have discovered a novel autoimmune disease linked to a specific type of asbestos, and have conducted extensive research regarding the causes, symptoms, and progression of this deadly condition.