Significance of the surface of crystalline silicogenic dusts in experimental silicosis.

Crystalline, silicogenic quartz dusts possess a marked basic dye-binding capacity even in strong acid media (pH 1.0), which points to negative surface charges of the dusts. Presumably this surface property of the dusts may be related to their silicogenic effect. This hypothesis has been tested by pretreatment of the dusts with basic dyes for binding the negative surface charges. The dusts were administered intratracheally to rats. The results obtained after 8 and 12 months revealed that staining by basic dyes of the dusts decreases their silicogenic activity.