| 1986 Guidelines |
| Chest film (irregular opacities) |
| Pathology (College of American Pathologists) |
| Consistent time interval |
| Occupational and environmental history |
| Asbestos bodies or fibers |
|
| 2004 Guidelines |
| Evidence of structural change, as demonstrated by one or more of the following: |
| Imaging methods |
| Histology (College of American Pathologists) |
| Evidence of plausible causation, as demonstrated by one or more of the following: |
| Occupational and environmental history of exposure (with plausible latency) |
| Markers of exposure (eg, plaques) |
| Recovery of asbestos bodies in lung tissue |
|
| Comparison and notes |
| Demonstrates the existence of a structural lesion consistent with the effects of asbestos. The criteria outlined in the 1986 were most explicit for asbestosis. |
| Chest film, HRCT, and possibly future methods based on imaging. The 1986 guidelines specified ILO classification 1/1. |
| Criteria for identifying asbestosis on microscopic examination of tissue are unchanged. |
| Evidence of plausible causation implies that the temporal relationship, including latency, is plausible. |
| The 2004 guidelines are not limited to lung tissue, consider the role of BAL to be established, and deemphasize fibers because they are difficult to detect and a systematic analysis for asbestos fibers is not generally available. |
|
