Health Related Effects of Phyllosilicates (NATO ASI Series / Ecological Sciences)

This overview covers health related effects of a special group of silicates, named phyllosilicates for their structure (non-fibrous platty crystals), and known for their industrial uses (filling, insulating, adsorbing materials). Their most important contaminant, asbestos, is also discussed. The different chapters describe the present knowledge concerning geology, mineralogy and health related effects (epidemiology, pathology, animal experiments, cell toxicology, carcinogenesis) of phyllosilicates.