A perspective on asbestos ingestion

The potential hazards of asbestos ingestion, chronic or acute, have not been adequately evaluated and remain unresolved and argumentative. With the widespread dissemination of asbestos in the environment, the G. I. tract receives not only direct but also indirect insults (pulmonary exudate). Since the latent period for manifestation of toxicity from asbestos is 20 to 40 years in man, the potential health hazard from neonatal to adulthood exposure must be recognized and evaluated.