HEALTH ASPECTS OF MAN-MADE MINERAL FIBRESA REVIEW

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Abstract
Man-made mineral fibres (MMMF) have been in production for over 40 years. The diameter of the fibres has in general been too large to cause a high concentration of respirable fibrous dust during manufacturing or use. Medical studies in several countries of groups of workers exposed for lengthy periods to glass fibre have produced evidence of the absence of lung fibrosis or respiratory impairment, and have not shown an excess risk of lung or other cancers. Reports of a few individuals with respiratory disease and an exposure to MMMF have not clearly indicated the fibres as a cause of the disease. Limited pathological studies of lungs of workers with long term exposures to glass fibre have shown no evidence of lung damage. Animal inhalation studies in general confirm that MMMF are not fibrogenic. Following injection of fibres into the pleura, the incidence of tumours produced is related to the dose, diameter and length of the fibres. Further research is needed to enlarge the number and diversity of the epidemiological studies; also to look more critically at the biological effects of small diameter fibres which may arise as a result of changes in technology of production and use of MMMF.

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