Amphibole fibres in Chinese chrysotile asbestos

Ten chrysotile bulk samples originating from six Chinese chrysotile mines were studied for amphibole fibres. Five of the mines operate on ultramafic rocks whereas one exploits a dolomite-hosted deposit. The asbestos fibre content in lung tissue was examined from seven deceased workers of the Shenyang asbestos plant using these raw materials. The bulk samples were pretreated with acid/alkali-digestion, and thereafter, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, X-ray microanalysis, selected area electron diffraction and X-ray powder diffractometry were used to identify the minerals. Sample preparation of lung tissue involved drying and low-temperature ashing. All of the bulk samples contained amphibole fibres as an impurity. The amphibole asbestos contents were between 0.002 and 0.310 w-%. Tremolite fibres were detected in every sample but anthophyllite fibres were present only in the sample originating from the dolomite-hosted deposit. In comparison, anthophyllite (71%), tremolite (9%) and chrysotile (10%) were the main fibre types in the lung tissue samples indicating faster pulmonary clearance of chrysotile fibres. The total levels ranged from 2.4 to 148.3 million fibres (over 1 microm in length) per gram of dry tissue, and they were consistent with heavy occupational exposure to asbestos.