title: Asbestos Fiber Preparation Methods Affect Fiber Toxicity.
abstract: To measure the toxic potential of asbestos fibers-a known cause of asbestosis, lung cancer, and malignant mesothelioma-asbestos minerals are generally first ground down to small fibers, but it is unknown whether the grinding condition itself changes the fiber toxicity. To evaluate this, we ground chrysotile ore with or without water for 5-30 min and quantified asbestos-induced reactive oxygen species generation in elicited murine peritoneal macrophages as an indicator of fiber toxicity. The toxicity of dry-ground fibers was higher than the toxicity of wet-ground fibers. Grinding with or without water did not materially alter the mineralogical properties. However, dry-ground fibers contained at least 7 times more iron than wet-ground fibers. These results indicate that grinding methods significantly affect the surface concentration of iron, resulting in changes in fiber-induced reactive oxygen species generation or toxicity. Therefore, fiber preparation conditions should be accounted for when comparing the toxicity of asbestos fibers between reported studies.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine and the Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, 3450 Hamilton Walk, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States.
authors.forename: Ashkan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Salamatipour
authors.affiliation: Department of Earth and Environmental Science, University of Pennsylvania, 240 South 33rd St., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States.
authors.forename: Sanjay K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Mohanty
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine and the Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, 3450 Hamilton Walk, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States.
authors.forename: Ralph A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Pietrofesa
authors.affiliation: Department of Earth and Environmental Science, University of Pennsylvania, 240 South 33rd St., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States.
authors.forename: David R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Vann
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine and the Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, 3450 Hamilton Walk, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States.
authors.forename: Melpo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Christofidou-Solomidou
authors.affiliation: Department of Earth and Environmental Science, University of Pennsylvania, 240 South 33rd St., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States.
authors.forename: Jane K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Willenbring