For the first time, this paper reports a systematic and comparative study of the thermal behaviour of fibres of social, health, economic and industrial relevance using thermogravimetric and differential scanning calorimetry (TG/DSC). The mineral fibres selected for the study are: three chrysotiles samples, crocidolite, tremolite asbestos, amosite, anthophyllite asbestos and fibrous erionite.Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) and scanning electron microscopy combined with energy dispersive spectrometry (SEM/EDS) were used for the characterization of the mineral fibres before and after heating at 1000 or 1100 °C to identify the products of the thermal decomposition at a microscopic and structural scale and characterize their thermal behaviour.TG/DSC data allowed the determination of the structural water content and temperature stability.Furthermore thermal analysis provided a sensitive and reliable technique for the detection of small quantities of different mineral phases occurring as impurities. After thermal treatment, fibrous samples were completely transformed into various iron oxide, cristobalite and other silicate phases which preserved the original overall fibrous morphology (as pseudomorphosis). Only crocidolite at 1100 °C was partially melted and an amorphous surface was observed.

Once penetrated into the lungs of exposed people, asbestos induces an in vivo biomineralisation process that leads to the formation of a ferruginous coating embedding the fibres. The ensemble of the fibre and the coating is referred to as asbestos body and is believed to be responsible for the high toxicological outcome of asbestos. Lung tissue of two individuals subjected to prolonged occupational exposure to crocidolite asbestos was investigated using synchrotron radiation micro-probe tools. The distribution of K and of elements heavier than Fe (Zn, Cu, As, and Ba) in the asbestos bodies was observed for the first time. Elemental quantification, also reported for the first time, confirmed that the coating is highly enriched in Fe (~20% w/w), and x-ray absorption spectroscopy indicated that Fe is in the 3+ oxidation state and that it is present in the form of ferritin or hemosiderin. Comparison of the results obtained studying the asbestos bodies upon removing the biological tissue by chemical digestion and those embedded in histological sections, allowed unambiguously distinguishing the composition of the asbestos bodies, and understanding to what extent the digestion procedure altered their chemical composition. A speculative model is proposed to explain the observed distribution of Fe.

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We studied the effects of fibrous antigorite on mesothelial MeT-5A and monocyte-macrophage J774 cell lines to further understand cellular mechanisms induced by asbestos fibers leading to lung damage and cancer. Antigorite is a mineral with asbestiform properties, which tends to associate with chrysotile or tremolite, and frequently occurs as the predominant mineral in the veins of several serpentinite rocks found abundantly in the Western Alps. Particles containing antigorite are more abundant in the breathing air of this region than those typically found in urban ambient air. Exposure of MeT-5A and J774 cells to fibrous antigorite at concentrations of 5–100 μg/ml for 72 hr induced dose-dependent cytotoxicity. Antigorite also stimulated the ROS production, induced the generation of nitrite and PGE2. MeT-5A cells were more sensitive to antigorite than J774 cells. The results of this study revealed that the fibrous antigorite stimulates cyclooxygenase and formation of hydroxyl and nitric oxide radicals. These changes represent early cellular responses to antigorite fibers, which lead to a host of pathological and neoplastic conditions because free radicals and PGE2 play important roles as mediators of tumor pathogenesis. Understanding the mechanisms of the cellular responses to antigorite and other asbestos particles should be helpful in designing rational prevention and treatment approaches.

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