Printed in (S.A. CHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF UNCOATED ASBESTOS FIBERS FROM THE LUNGS OF ASBESTOS WORKERS BY ELECTRON MICROPROBE ANALYSIS ” 2

Lung tissues have been obtained from workmen with defined asbestos fiber exposure. These tissues have been prepared by the carbon extraction technique and examined with the electron microprobe analyzer. The uncoated fibers present in these specimens have been chemically characterized and compared with standard reference asbestos samples. The bulk chemistry of the fibers observed in lung tissues is similar to that of the reference fibers so that identification may be made. However, a statistical analysis of the measured emission characteristics from anthophyllite and amosite indicates that some magnesium loss has taken place. This loss appears to correlate with the magnesium content of the fibers. A slight iron increase was also noted in the same fibers, probably related to an in-cipient asbestos body formation. In another paper (1), we described the in-strumentation, methodology, sample prepara-tion and the results of a study concerning the chemical characterization of cores of asbestos bodies. In that study, it became evident that