Contamination of the air with Mineral Fibers Following the Explosive Destruction of Buildings and Fire
Abstract
DRUG METABOLISM REVIEWS, 26(4), 663-673 (1994) CONTAMINATION OF THE AIR WITH MINERAL FIBERS FOLLOWING THE EXPLOSIVE DESTRUCTION OF BUILDINGS AND FIREâ JOHN ANTHONY HOSKINSt and ROBERT CHARLES BROWN Medical Research Council Toxicology Unit University o Leicester f Leicester, United Kingdom I. INTRODUCTION ........................................................ 11. 664 DISCUSSION ............................................................. 667 A. Asbestos Use ........................................................ 667 B. The Aftermath of Fire and Explosion ........................... 667 C. The Pathogenicity of Asbestos and Mineral Fibers ........... 668 671 672 References .................................................................. 111. SUMMARY ............................................................... *Presented in part in the workshop âEffects of Military Activities on the Environmentâ at the Fifth European ISSX Meeting, September 26-29, 1993, in Tours, France. +To whom correspondence should be addressed: Dr. J. A. Hoskins, MRC Toxicology Unit, Hodgkin Building, University of Leicester, PO Box 138, Lancaster Road, Leicester LEI 9HN, United Kingdom. 663 Copyright 0 1994 by Marcel Dekker. Inc. 664 HOSKINS AND BROWN I. INTRODUCTION Mineral fibers are ubiquitous contaminants of the environment although air levels have increased about 10-fold since the start of the industrial revolution. A hundred and fifty years ago there was little production of and few uses for mineral fibers. Exposure, therefore, was only to the background level of mineral particles derived from