Naturally Occurring Asbestos: Potential for Human Exposure, Southern Nevada, USA

Buck, Brenda J.; Goossens, Dirk; Metcalf, Rodney V.; McLaurin, Brett T.; Ren, Minghua; Freudenberger, Frederick

doi:10.2136/sssaj2013.05.0183

Cited by 55 publications

(47 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…So it appears we all agree that our findings identifying environmental exposure to asbestos in Southern Nevada are important and require follow up because asbestos causes mesothelioma. Therefore, we are puzzled by the title of their letter, a title that cannot be supported by data, and that in fact contradicts published evidence that exposure to asbestos increases the risk of mesothelioma and that such exposure is occurring in Southern Nevada 8–10 . Risk is defined as the product of hazard and vulnerability (or exposure) 11 .…”

mentioning

confidence: 90%

“…For example, ambient air measured for Phase I of the Boulder City Bypass showed the presence of airborne asbestos fibers 10 . Moreover, some individuals may be exposed to significantly higher concentrations through recreational activities, such as off-road vehicle recreation, horseback riding, mountain bicycle riding, hiking, and other activities that are popular in the desert areas where asbestos fibers occur 1,8–10,14 .…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Reply to “No Increased Risk for Mesothelioma in Relation to Natural-Occurring Asbestos in Southern Nevada”

Baumann

Buck

Metcalf

et al. 2015

Journal of Thoracic Oncology

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confidence: 90%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Reply to “No Increased Risk for Mesothelioma in Relation to Natural-Occurring Asbestos in Southern Nevada”

Baumann

Buck

Metcalf

et al. 2015

Journal of Thoracic Oncology

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“…The health effects of dust generated from soil sources has also seen recent interest. This has included direct effects of dust on the respiratory system (Sharratt and Lauer, 2006;Whicker et al, 2006;Buck et al, 2013) as well as indirect effects through exposure to pathogens (Bultman et al, 2005;Gardner et al, 2012) or pollutants (Chen et al, 2005;Boxall et al, 2009) carried on dust. Some research involves less direct influences of soils on human health.…”

Section: The Presentmentioning

confidence: 99%

The past, present, and future of soils and human health studies

Brevik

Sauer

2015

SOIL

142

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Abstract. The idea that human health is tied to the soil is not a new one. As far back as circa 1400 BC the Bible depicts Moses as understanding that fertile soil was essential to the well-being of his people. In 400 BC the Greek philosopher Hippocrates provided a list of things that should be considered in a proper medical evaluation, including the properties of the local ground. By the late 1700s and early 1800s, American farmers had recognized that soil properties had some connection to human health. In the modern world, we recognize that soils have a distinct influence on human health. We recognize that soils influence (1) food availability and quality (food security), (2) human contact with various chemicals, and (3) human contact with various pathogens. Soils and human health studies include investigations into nutrient supply through the food chain and routes of exposure to chemicals and pathogens. However, making strong, scientific connections between soils and human health can be difficult. There are multiple variables to consider in the soil environment, meaning traditional scientific studies that seek to isolate and manipulate a single variable often do not provide meaningful data. The complete study of soils and human health also involves many different specialties such as soil scientists, toxicologists, medical professionals, anthropologists, etc. These groups do not traditionally work together on research projects, and do not always effectively communicate with one another. Climate change and how it will affect the soil environment/ecosystem going into the future is another variable affecting the relationship between soils and health. Future successes in soils and human health research will require effectively addressing difficult issues such as these.

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“…Soil disturbance during construction of houses, schools, and roads released amphibole EMP-bearing dusts into the ambient air of this community (Ladd, 2005(Ladd, , 2011a at levels similar to those at Silver Bay where nonasbestos EMP are also found (Table 3A). Buck et al (2013) reported naturally occurring asbestiform actinolite and magnesiohornblende in soils from southern Nevada that are easily disturbed and entrained into the air by recreational activities.…”

Section: Erosion Of Naturally Occurring Asbestos (Noa) Amphibole Anmentioning

confidence: 99%

Methodologies for Determining the Sources, Characteristics, Distribution, and Abundance of Asbestiform and Nonasbestiform Amphibole and Serpentine in Ambient Air and Water

Wylie

Candela

2015

Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part B

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Anthropogenic and nonanthropogenic (erosion) processes contribute to the continuing presence of asbestos and nonasbestos elongated mineral particles (EMP) of amphibole and serpentine in air and water of urban, rural, and remote environments. The anthropogenic processes include disturbance and deterioration of asbestos-containing materials, mining of amphibole- and serpentine-bearing rock, and disturbance of soils containing amphibole and serpentine. Atmospheric dispersal processes can transport EMP on a global scale. There are many methods of establishing the abundance of EMP in air and water. EMP include cleavage fragments, fibers, asbestos, and other asbestiform minerals, and the methods employed do not critically distinguish among them. The results of most of the protocols are expressed in the common unit of fibers per square centimeter; however, seven different definitions for the term "fiber" are employed and the results are not comparable. The phase-contrast optical method used for occupational monitoring cannot identify particles being measured, and none of the methods distinguish amphibole asbestos from other EMP of amphibole. Measured ambient concentrations of airborne EMP are low, and variance may be high, even for similar environments, yielding data of questionable value for risk assessment. Calculations based on the abundance of amphibole-bearing rock and estimates of asbestos in the conterminous United States suggest that amphibole may be found in 6-10% of the land area; nonanthropogenic erosional processes might produce on the order of 400,000 tons or more of amphibole per year, and approximately 50 g asbestos/km(2)/yr; and the order of magnitude of the likelihood of encountering rock bearing any type of asbestos is approximately 0.0001.

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Naturally Occurring Asbestos: Potential for Human Exposure, Southern Nevada, USA

Cited by 55 publications

References 27 publications

Reply to “No Increased Risk for Mesothelioma in Relation to Natural-Occurring Asbestos in Southern Nevada”

Reply to “No Increased Risk for Mesothelioma in Relation to Natural-Occurring Asbestos in Southern Nevada”

The past, present, and future of soils and human health studies

Methodologies for Determining the Sources, Characteristics, Distribution, and Abundance of Asbestiform and Nonasbestiform Amphibole and Serpentine in Ambient Air and Water

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