Abstract

In Cappadocia, Turkey, an unprecedented mesothelioma epidemic causes 50% of all deaths in three small villages. Initially linked solely to the exposure to a fibrous mineral, erionite, recent studies by scientists from Turkey and the United States have shown that erionite causes mesothelioma mostly in families that are genetically predisposed to mineral fibre carcinogenesis. This manuscript reports, through the eyes of one of the researchers, the resulting scientific advances that have come from these studies and the social improvements that were brought about by both the scientists and members of the Turkish Government.

Author affiliations

1. Michele Carbone is at the Cancer Research Center of Hawaii, Thoracic Oncology Program, Honolulu, Hawaii 96816, USA.
2. Salih Emri is at the Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Murat Tuncer is at the Department of Hematology and Oncology and Y. Izzettin Baris is Emeritus Professor of Medicine, University of Hacettepe, 06532 Beytepe, Ankara, Turkey.
3. A. Umran Dogan is at the Department of Geological Engineering, Ankara University, 06100 Tandogan, Ankara, Turkey, and at the Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, University of Iowa, Iowa 52242-1527, USA.
4. Ian Steele is at the Department of Geophysical Sciences, University of Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA.
5. Harvey I. Pass is at the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, New York University, New York 10016, USA.

Correspondence to: Michele Carbone¹ Email: mcarbone@crch.hawaii.edu

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