Abstract
Combined exposure to radon and mineral dust is very common in some mine environments. It has been suggested that the carcinogenic activity of some inorganic materials might be related to their surface reducing properties allowing the formation of activated species of oxygen. The potential carcinogenic or cocarcinogenic properties of 4 minerals present in the ores of metallic mines (nemalite, a contaminant of the Quebec chrysotile, biotite, present in many granites and in the french uranium ore, iron pyrite, present in various iron and gold ores, and used here after air-ageing of the powder, and iron rich chlorite, present in iron, tungsten and gold ores), was studied in rats either alone or after radon exposure. The results did not demonstrate a clear carcinogenic or cocarcinogenic effect of minerals from metallic mine ores acting either alone or after radon exposure. However, the slight synergistic effect observed concerns the minerals the most active to generate very electrophilic species in an aerated aqueous medium and might be related to their role in promotion and/or progression steps.
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© 1994 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Monchaux, G. et al. (1994). Carcinogenic Effects in Rats of Exposure to Different Minerals from Metallic Mine Ores, Radon and Radon Daughters. In: Davis, J.M.G., Jaurand, MC. (eds) Cellular and Molecular Effects of Mineral and Synthetic Dusts and Fibres. NATO ASI Series, vol 85. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-79041-6_13
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-79041-6_13
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