Relationships between in Vitro Toxicity, Tissue Effects and Mineralogical Composition of Coal Mine Dusts

Abstract

The pulmonary lesions due to the inhalation of coal mine dust are characterized by the fact that they develop after a long time of exposure. Therefore, one may question whether short-term tests are valid to estimate the harmfulness of such type of dust. Besides, its harmfulness appears as a complex notion owing to the diversity of the mineralogical components and its variable physical characteristics. Thus it is essential to obtain reliable biological tests, giving comparable results in any laboratory. This led us to undertake common research in order to determine the toxicity level of coal mine dust in the EEC countries and to establish relationships between toxicity and physical or mineralogical characteristics. To this end, dust samples were collected from coal mines in West Germany, Belgium, France and the United Kingdom and divided amongst the participating laboratories. Using its own methods, each of the laboratories made analyses and determined in vitro and in vivo toxicity, in order to find which dust parameters correlated with toxicity and to establish to what extent the different tests are representative of the long-term effects of the dust.