ASBESTOS, MINERALOGY, TOXICOLOGY, AND TERMINOLOGY: AN INTRODUCTION TO THE PRESENT AND FUTURE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN HEALTH, RESPIRABLE MINERALS, AND REGULATIONS

Mineralogists are familiar with amphiboles and serpentines, and the asbestiform habits of some species within those groups. There are currently five fibrous amphiboles and one fibrous serpentine regulated as asbestos when processed for commercial purposes. However, there is also a disparity between the current definition of of asbestos and the mineralogical nomenclature describing many other species that can form respirable fibers or fragments. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Mineral Fibers Work Group, through the draft document titled "Asbestos Fibers and Other Elongated Mineral Particles: State of the Science and Roadmap for Scientific Research," has begun to address the inconsistencies. This presentation, intended for students as well as geologists not already familiar with the dynamics between mineralogy and public policy and law, will discuss current published definitions as well as highlights of the NIOSH roadmap document. Polarized light microscopy is used to present the optical characteristics of less common minerals such as fibrous edenite, magnesioriebeckite, and carlosturanite, which may fall under the scope of future regulations.