Asbestos fibers in wines: relation to filtration process

Asbestos fibers have been counted, using the transmission electron microscope, in 42 wines from France and abroad. 15 samples were found to be significantly positive for chrysotile asbestos. Concentrations were in the range of 2 to 60 x 10(6) fibers/liter. Technical inquiries have shown that the asbestos content of the wines was related to the process by which they were filtered. On the other side, it has been tested that if one abolished the use of asbestos for filtering wines, they would not be altered from the oenological point of view.