Reflection on the suspected carcinogenic potential of quartz

Several occupational health and safety commissions are presently investigat ing the carcinogenic potential of respirable quartz dust in connection with lung cancer. Against this background, the large amount of information alre ady available and recent selected research results should be condensed and presented in an easily understandable form to open the discussion on the mo st important conclusions. Information from the fields of occurrence at the workplace, toxicology, occupational medicine as well as epidemiology give r eason to believe that the potential carcinogenicity is attributable to the so-called A-fraction of quartz dust (formerly called respirable quartz dust ), and that the problem in the field is minor although of varying significa nce. It is urgently requested to promote further scientific investigations into the surface properties of dusts and quartz from various origins and ap plications. Only then will it be possible to develop efficient health prote ction measures.