Abstract
A high incidence of mesothelioma has been reported from some villages in Cappadocia, Turkey. This type of cancer is usually associated with the inhalation of asbestos, but on the basis of the most prevalent fibre in the dust from these villages, the Turkish outbreak has been attributed to the inhalation of zeolite fibres. A counter hypothesis, based on the detection of very small quantities of chrysotile and tremolite in strata samples and human lung tissue, postulates a significant role of these minerals as one of several factors contributing to pleural disease. A respirable fraction of erionite, (from Oregon, USA, but with similar characteristics to the fibres found in Turkey), has some in vitro genotoxic properties associated with many conventional carcinogens. In this study these fibres caused an increase in morphological transformation and unscheduled DNA repair synthesis (UDS) in C3H10T1/2 cells and UDS in the human lung cell line--A549. It is therefore suggested that exposure to fibrous erionite alone may be sufficient to cause the high incidence of pleural tumours observed in Turkey.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 24 print issues and online access
$259.00 per year
only $10.79 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Poole, A., Brown, R., Turver, C. et al. In vitro genotoxic activities of fibrous erionite. Br J Cancer 47, 697–705 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1038/bjc.1983.108
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/bjc.1983.108
This article is cited by
-
Erionite series minerals in felsic volcanic rocks of southern Mesa Central, Guanajuato, Mexico
Environmental Earth Sciences (2021)
-
Re-evaluation and re-classification of erionite series minerals
Environmental Geochemistry and Health (2008)
-
Erionite series minerals: mineralogical and carcinogenic properties
Environmental Geochemistry and Health (2008)
-
Zeolite occurrences and the erionite-mesothelioma relationship in Cappadocia, central Anatolia, Turkey
Mineralium Deposita (1996)
-
Mineral fiber-induced malondialdehyde formation and effects of oxidant scavengers in phagocytic cells
International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health (1988)