Free radical activity of natural and heat treated amphibole asbestos.

The amphibole minerals amosite and crocidolite were subjected to calcination and to hydrothermal treatment in order to study the effect of these heat treatments on the ability of the minerals to trigger formation of free radicals, which is known to be a main factor causing asbestosis and other asbestos-induced diseases. Free radical activity of the natural and heat treated minerals was studied by using supercoiled DNA (pUC18 plasmid) as a target molecule, and also by means of EPR spectroscopy. It was shown that after calcination of the natural minerals at 1073 K their free radical activity was strongly decreased These results, which may have relevant consequences for asbestos technology, were correlated with concomitant alteration of the structure and surface chemistry of the minerals during calcination.