Oxygen incineration and electron microscope x-ray microanalysis of mineral particles in biological tissues

Techniques employed for the recovery from biological tissues of noncombustible fine particles such as asbestos, talc, kaolin and diatomaceous material were assessed by electron microscope x-ray microanalysis. Recovery procedures which have been proven successful for lung tissue were found to be impracticable for more solid types of tissues. Digestion techniques employing acids, alkalis or enzymes and standard incineration procedures were found to be unsatisfactory for human adrenal, cervix, liver and ovarian tissues when the resultant residues were examined by electron microscope microanalysis. The recovered particles were often completely masked with residues which were shown to be composed of organic elements. The use of oxygen during the incineration process completely removed this contaminating material in nearly all cases studied. When such procedures were used, clearly defined particles were recovered from the tissue, thereby permitting x-ray analysis. A quantitative analysis could then be made to estimate the particle content in a variety of tissues.