“Positive” Identification Guidelines for Erionite Series Minerals: The Most Carcinogenic Minerals Known

Abstract:

Erionite is a major health problem for humans and animals where contaminates an environment and described as a human health hazard. Erionite creates a disease called mesothelioma, which presently no cure and patients die within a short period of time. Erionite and mesothelioma relationship was first observed in Turkey in 1980s and now the problem is emerging in other places in the world. In the past, there have been in vivo or in vitro biological experiments performed using incorrectly characterized erionite minerals. We propose that erionite must be banned officially for a commercial usage, standard identification guidelines for research should be implemented, Regulatory Agencies should ensure that the proposed guidelines for positive identification both for a single fiber and a bulk mineral are followed closely, international data bank should be established at one of the mineralogical societies, new data must be evaluated rigorously before being accepted to the data bank, and there should be a close collaboration between medical community researchers and mineralogist in this field so that future animal and cell experiments should be performed only with minerals that have passed positive identification guidelines. In summary, we do not want to see what happened with asbestos happen with erionite.