Man Made Vitreous Fibres Mmvf And Your Health

"This publication represents the views and expert opinions of an IARC working group on the evaluation of carcinogenic risks to humans, which met in Lyon, 9-16 October 2001."

The result of a meeting held at IARC early in 1996, this volume provides a thorough and up-to-date synthesis of the mechanisms of fibre carcinogenesis. A consensus document assesses the strengths, weaknesses and gaps in the data concerning fibre characterization and genotoxicity, fibre-related cell proliferation and activation, gene expression, animal models, mixed dust exposure and interactions with other carcinogens. The relevance of mechanistic data from in vitro and in vivo assays to the evaluation of fibre carcinogenicity are also discussed. Authored review papers, also published in this volume, provide the background material for much of the discussion.

Much of the more than 30 million tons of asbestos used in the United States since 1900 is still present as insulation in offices and schools, as vinyl-asbestos flooring in homes, and in other common products. This volume presents a comprehensive evaluation of the relation of these fibers to specific diseases and the extent of nonoccupational risks associated with them. It covers sources of asbestiform fibers, properties of the fibers, and carcinogenic and fibrogenic risks they pose.

Exposure to particles in industry and mining and from accidental anthropogenic sources constitutes an ongoing threat. Most recently nanoparticles arising from advances in technology are exposing a wider population to pathogenic stimuli. The effects of inhaled particles are no longer confined to the lung as nanoparticles have the potential to transl