Abstract
The largest anthopyllite deposits in the world are found in Finland and it is from here that most of the commercial anthophyllite derives. However, other large deposits exist in both North America and Japan. Commercial production has existed in both these countries although not on a scale which matches the Finnish mines. Small deposits are known from several other countries but, apart from minor exploitation in India no significant mining has taken place. The North American deposits are primarily in the Eastern US states, mostly Maryland, Georgia and North Carolina although there was also extensive exploration in Alabama. In Japan, the major mining site was at Matsubase on the southermost island of Kyushu. Although these mines and attendant commercial concerns operated for decades and under conditions of high dust exposure no mesothelioma clusters are known from the mining areas.
Highlights
The link between asbestos exposure and mesothelioma formation was confirmed by Wagner et al in 1960 for crocidolite (Wagner et al, 1960) and by 1972, if not before, for amosite (Selikoff, 1972)
About 1941, the Industrial Minerals Corporation began mining at the Blue Rock mine and for several years produced relatively large tonnages of high grade mass-fiber anthophyllite asbestos which was processed at the company's mill at Spruce Pine
Thousands of factory workers were exposed to anthophyllite asbestos fiber in Osaka, Kobe, and Tokyo that used the high-quality fiber whilst the low-grade fiber was sold to other Japanese factories to produce fire-resistant panels and small cooking stoves (Hiraoka, 1993, Hiraoka et al, 1998) and have never been shown to demonstrate an attendant mesothelioma response
Summary
The link between asbestos exposure and mesothelioma formation was confirmed by Wagner et al in 1960 for crocidolite (Wagner et al, 1960) and by 1972, if not before, for amosite (Selikoff, 1972). In 1994, the ability of anthophyllite asbestos to cause mesothelioma was still questioned (Meurman et al, 1994). The epidemiological evidence underscores a significant difference in the ability of anthophyllite to cause mesothelioma from other types of amphibole asbestos. This report provides further supportive evidence based on studies of the American and Japanese anthophyllite industry. The USA and Japan commercially mined, milled and distributed anthophyllite in significant quantities for nearly 100 years starting in the nineteenth century. Whilst this has created significant potential occupational, para-occupational and environmental exposure in both countries, there is no evidence of an attributable risk of mesothelioma in either. Together with Finland these are the only countries which have, or had, a significant anthophyllite industry
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