About the Authors

Giuseppe Matullo

giuseppe.matullo@unito.it (GM); irma.dianzani@med.unipmn.it (ID)

Affiliations Human Genetics Foundation, HuGeF, Turin, Italy, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy

Simonetta Guarrera

Affiliation Human Genetics Foundation, HuGeF, Turin, Italy

Marta Betti

Affiliation Laboratory of Genetic Pathology, Department Health Sciences, University of Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy

Giovanni Fiorito

Affiliation Human Genetics Foundation, HuGeF, Turin, Italy

Daniela Ferrante

Affiliation CPO-Piemonte and Unit of Medical Statistics and Epidemiology, Department Translational Medicine, University of Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy

Floriana Voglino

Affiliation Human Genetics Foundation, HuGeF, Turin, Italy

Gemma Cadby

Affiliations Genetic Epidemiology and Biostatistics Platform, Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Prosserman Centre for Health Research, Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Centre for Genetic Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia

Cornelia Di Gaetano

Affiliations Human Genetics Foundation, HuGeF, Turin, Italy, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy

Fabio Rosa

Affiliation Human Genetics Foundation, HuGeF, Turin, Italy

Alessia Russo

Affiliations Human Genetics Foundation, HuGeF, Turin, Italy, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy

Ari Hirvonen

Affiliation Centre of Expertise for Health and Work Ability, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki, Finland

Elisabetta Casalone

Affiliation Laboratory of Genetic Pathology, Department Health Sciences, University of Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy

Sara Tunesi

Affiliation CPO-Piemonte and Unit of Medical Statistics and Epidemiology, Department Translational Medicine, University of Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy

Marina Padoan

Affiliation CPO-Piemonte and Unit of Medical Statistics and Epidemiology, Department Translational Medicine, University of Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy

Mara Giordano

Affiliation Laboratory of Genetics, Department Health Sciences, University of Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy

Anna Aspesi

Affiliation Laboratory of Genetic Pathology, Department Health Sciences, University of Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy

Caterina Casadio

Affiliation Thoracic Surgery Unit, University of Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy

Francesco Ardissone

Affiliation Chest Surgery, Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences, University of Turin, Orbassano, Italy

Enrico Ruffini

Affiliation Thoracic Surgery Unit, University of Turin, Turin, Italy

Pier Giacomo Betta

Affiliation Pathology Unit, Azienda Ospedaliera Nazionale SS, Antonio e Biagio e Cesare Arrigo, Alessandria, Italy

Roberta Libener

Affiliation Pathology Unit, Azienda Ospedaliera Nazionale SS, Antonio e Biagio e Cesare Arrigo, Alessandria, Italy

Roberto Guaschino

Affiliation Transfusion Centre, Azienda Ospedaliera Nazionale SS, Antonio e Biagio e Cesare Arrigo, Alessandria, Italy

Ezio Piccolini

Affiliation Pneumology Unit, Santo Spirito Hospital, Casale Monferrato, Italy

Monica Neri

Affiliation Unit of Clinical and Molecular Epidemiology IRCCS San Raffaele Pisana, Rome, Italy

Arthur W. B. Musk

Affiliations Department of Respiratory Medicine, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia, National Centre for Asbestos Related Disease, School of Medicine and Pharmacology, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia

Nicholas H. de Klerk

Affiliation Centre for Child Health Research, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia

Jennie Hui

Affiliations National Centre for Asbestos Related Disease, School of Medicine and Pharmacology, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia, PathWest Laboratory Medicine WA, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia

John Beilby

Affiliations National Centre for Asbestos Related Disease, School of Medicine and Pharmacology, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia, PathWest Laboratory Medicine WA, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia

Alan L. James

Affiliations Department of Respiratory Medicine, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia, National Centre for Asbestos Related Disease, School of Medicine and Pharmacology, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia

Jenette Creaney

Affiliations Department of Respiratory Medicine, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia, National Centre for Asbestos Related Disease, School of Medicine and Pharmacology, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia

Bruce W. Robinson

Affiliations Department of Respiratory Medicine, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia, National Centre for Asbestos Related Disease, School of Medicine and Pharmacology, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia

Sutapa Mukherjee

Affiliations Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Women's College Research Institute and Women's College Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Lyle J. Palmer

Affiliations Genetic Epidemiology and Biostatistics Platform, Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Prosserman Centre for Health Research, Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Dario Mirabelli

Affiliations Unit of Cancer Epidemiology, CPO-Piemonte and University of Turin, Turin, Italy, Interdepartmental Center for Studies on Asbestos and other Toxic Particulates “G. Scansetti”, University of Turin, Turin, Italy

Donatella Ugolini

Affiliation Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genoa and IRCSS AOU San Martino-IST-Istituto Nazionale per la Ricerca sul Cancro, Genoa, Italy

Stefano Bonassi

Affiliation Unit of Clinical and Molecular Epidemiology IRCCS San Raffaele Pisana, Rome, Italy

Corrado Magnani

Affiliations CPO-Piemonte and Unit of Medical Statistics and Epidemiology, Department Translational Medicine, University of Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy, Interdepartmental Center for Studies on Asbestos and other Toxic Particulates “G. Scansetti”, University of Turin, Turin, Italy

Irma Dianzani

giuseppe.matullo@unito.it (GM); irma.dianzani@med.unipmn.it (ID)

Affiliations Laboratory of Genetic Pathology, Department Health Sciences, University of Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy, Interdepartmental Center for Studies on Asbestos and other Toxic Particulates “G. Scansetti”, University of Turin, Turin, Italy

Competing Interests

The authors declare no competing financial interest. In fact, the “PathWest Laboratory Medicine WA” is not a commercial funder of this research. The authors Jennie Hui and John Beilby are employed by PathWest and do not have any additional consultancy, patents, products in development or marketed products with competing interests relating to this research. Thus, PathWest affiliation does not alter the authors' adherence to all the PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials.

Author Contributions

Contributed to writing the manuscript: SG CDG AR GF FR. Evaluated asbestos exposure: DM. Obtained and/or supervised clinical information: RG EP AH FA ER CC SM. Obtained funding for sample collection and genotyping: ID GM CM LJP ALJ SB DU DM PGB. Participated in critical review of the manuscript for intellectual content: GM SG MB GF DF FV GC CDG FR AR AH EC ST MP MG AA CC FA ER PGB RL RG EP MN AWBM NHdK JH JB ALJ JC BWR SM LJP DM DU SB CM ID. Conceived and designed the experiments: ID GM SB CM. Performed the experiments: SG AR MB AA EC FR ID GM JH. Analyzed the data: GF CM DF ST FV GC CDG FR MP. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: MB MN DU RL MG PGB SB AH JC BWR AWBM LJP ALJ NHdK JB CC FA. Wrote the paper: GM ID CM.