My research goals are to investigate the mechanisms of asbestos interactions with developing fetus and placenta.
Asbestos is a known carcinogen and mutagen in both human and animals.
The toxic effects of asbestos exposure may be mediated through various mechanisms. The pregnant mice are given intravenous injection of known doses of asbestos suspension, and the fetuses and placentas are removed by Cesarean section at timed intervals. In addition, asbestos burden of the fetal and placental tissues is determined using a bleach digestion extraction technique and electron microscopy with energy dispersive x-ray analysis. Histopathologic examination of the fetal and placental tissues, with immunohistochemical analysis for cytokines is also being performed for correlations with the tissue levels. A study of 40 stillborn infants.