Response to: 'Are children more vulnerable to mesothelioma than adults? A comparison of mesothelioma risk among children and adults exposed non-occupationally to blue asbestos at Wittenoom by Reid et al

Dear Sir,

We read with interest the paper published by Reid and colleagues.1 The authors aimed at comparing the risk of mesothelioma among those first exposed to asbestos as children with those first exposed as adults. In a cohort of 4704 people living near an asbestos mine and mill, they observed higher rates of mesothelioma among residents first exposed after the age of 15 years compared with those exposed during the childhood. We have a couple of concerns regarding the interpretation and the validity of the findings from Reid et al.1

The authors noted that 'The mesothelioma rate was lower among children than adults by categories of time since first exposure for all periods, although CIs overlapped (table 3)'. Moreover, the estimates reported in their table 3 are not adjusted by age (and gender). It is likely that the age distributions of those aged less than 5 years...

from A via a.sfakia on Inoreader https://ift.tt/2T3qQff