The approximate density of asbestos bodies in tissue can be estimated based on a microscopic examination. The authors are from Duke University and the VA Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina.
Parameters:
(1) number of 400x microscopic fields examined before first asbestos fiber identified
(2) area of 400x microscopic field in square mm
(3) average length of asbestos fiber is microns
(4) thickness of the histologic section in microns
density of asbestos fibers in number of fibers per gram of tissue =
= (10^6) / ((number of fields examined to find first fiber) * 0.54 * (area of microscopic field in square mm) * ((average asbestos body length in microns) + (thickness of section in microns))
Conversely:
number of microscopic fields that have to be examined to find the first fiber =
= (10^6) / ((density of asbestos fibers per gram of tissue) * 0.54 * (area of microscopic field in square mm) * ((average asbestos body length in microns) + (section thickness in microns))
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