OUT OF THE WORKPLACE AND INTO THE WILD: SOME NOVEL TECHNIQUES FOR EVALUATING FIBROUS MINERALS IN NATURE AND EXPERIMENTS ANYONE CAN TRY

Asbestos investigators are accustomed to searching for the six regulated asbetos types when analyzing air and bulk samples in the laboratory. The characteristics of "the regulated six" are well known and well documented using light microscopy, SEM, and TEM. Analysts use longstanding methods such as NIOSH 7400, TEM NIOSH 7402, OSHA ID-160, and OSHA ID-191, to name a few. However, these methods are not necessarily suited to differentiating non-regulated fibrous minerals from the six regulated ones. We will investigate some novel ways that students and researchers can use to explore the characteristics of fibrous minerals beyond the ones named as asbestos by OSHA. While these methods are not validated for analyzing compliance and clearance samples for regulatory purposes, they may be useful for screening and site characterization. These methods include alignment of mineral fibers by magnetic field, experimentation with heating fibers to high temperatures, and using the features of a polarizing light microscope to determine unique characteristics for minerals. Performing these experiments can be an educational and enightening experience for students as well as working analysts and research scientists.