[Adsorption of dyes as an indicator of the biological activity of mineral dust].

A study is made on the adsorption capacity of several types silicates and quartz dusts, prepared from pure mineral standards with respect to methylene blue and fuchsin. There are differences in the adsorption capacity of the minerals referring to unit surface. The quantity of the adsorption for samples of the same mineral, broken to pieces of different dispersity, also differs. However, between the adsorption capacity of test samples, divided into 3 groups--quartz, zeolite and mixed from the work environment, with respect to methylene blue, and their biological aggressiveness, tested "in vivo" after intratracheal test and the subcutaneous pocket method and the zeolite dusts on diploid culture, an inverse dependence is established. The adsorption capacity of the test dusts from the work environment is many times higher than the examined quartz and zeolite dusts, because of the presence of mineral components in them, especially argillaceous, which have high affinity toward the dye. The inverse dependence established between the adsorption capacity with respect to methylene blue and the biological effect of the tested dusts give grounds to propose the adsorption capacity as one of the induces for studying and hygienic evaluation of different types dusts, which have no components manifesting specific affinity to the dye.