FREE-RADICAL GENERATION DURING INTERACTION OF CHRYSOTILE ASBESTOS WITH NATURAL COMPOUNDS

Free radical generation was found after the addition of some natural b iological substances (adrenaline, ascorbate, ubiquinone Q(9), etc.) to a chrysotile asbestos suspension. This was detected by the chemilumin escent method with lucigenin as an indicator. The detailed study of th e chemiluminescent reaction in the adrenaline-chrysotile system indica ted that the reaction required hydroxyl ions, which arose in the chrys otile suspension, and was accompanied by a superoxide radical formatio n. At the same time, the radical production was very low in suspension s of amphybole asbestos, talc, and quartz, which could not alkalinize the water medium. On the basis of these results, it may be concluded t hat chrysotile has a unique ability to generate free radicals upon int eraction with some biological molecules in a water medium. This fact m ay explain the great carcinogenicity of chrysotile. The injection of c igarette smoke solution into chrysotile (but not into amphibole asbest os or talc) suspension induced intensive chemiluminescence. This sugge sts that smoke aggravates the effect of chrysotile on human health by increasing free radical generation on the surface of the fibers. (C) 1 994 Academic Press, Inc.