The aim of this study was to determine the following: (a) asbestos body count in lung tissue of different western Mediterranean populations; (b) the association, if any, of urban industrial residence with higher lung tissue asbestos exposure posed for lung cancer in our population. Lung-tissue samples were studied in three groups of subjects from the general population: (1) group A comprised 18 patients from Barcelona's urban industrial area (mean age = 62.2 y, standard deviation [SD] = 13.6); (2) group B comprised 16 patients who lived in a rural area of Albacete in the south of Spain (mean age = 62.2 y, SD = 13.7); and (3) group C comprised 8 patients who had been diagnosed with lung cancer, who lived in or near Barcelona, and who had never been exposed occupationally to asbestos (mean age = 62.1 y, SD = 7.4). A wet lung/dry lung weight ratio was determined. In group A, asbestos bodies were observed in 9 of 18 (50%) subjects, and asbestos bodies numbered 52.35 per g dry lung (SD = 101.72) (upper limit of normality [higher value] = 430.12 asbestos bodies per g dry lung). In group B, asbestos bodies were observed in 2 of 16 (12.5%) subjects, and asbestos bodies numbered 5.37 per g dry lung (SD = 8.79) (upper limit normality = 35.15 asbestos bodies per g dry lung). In group C, we observed asbestos bodies in 2 of 8 subjects (25.0%), and asbestos bodies numbered 20.59 per g dry weight (SD = 24.10).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)