Erionite: Asbestos-Like Material May Also Cause Deadly Mesothelioma
It has long been known that exposure to asbestos, the mineral used in many consumer products such as insulation and other building materials, can cause the deadly type of lung cancer called mesothelioma. But another type of mineral found throughout the western United States and primarily in mines in the Kildeer Mountains of North Dakota may also lead to the aggressive form of cancer, officials say.
Erionite is a naturally occurring, microscopic, fibrous mineral that is most often found in volcanic ash that has been hardened and weathered. Erionite fibers, just like asbestos, when inhaled can become lodged in the linings of the lungs, heart, and abdomen and cause cancer. As many as 3,000 new mesothelioma cases are diagnosed in the U.S each year. There is no cure for mesothelioma.
Widely Found in Western U.S.
Erionite deposits are found in at least 12 western states, but not in high levels as in seen in sections of North Dakota, where the mineral is mined and used as gravel on many rural roads, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
While there is lots of scientific research dating back decades linking exposure to asbestos to mesothelioma, theories that erionite may also cause the deadly cancer are relatively new. In the 1970s, researchers in Turkey documented a link between exposure to erionite and mesothelioma, but there have been fewer studies of the toxic material in the United States.
Also, the erionite found in Turkey is of a different composition than that found in the western U.S., which may also account for the mesothelioma risk, officials said. Erionite found in North Dakota is more calcium-based, while the mineral in Turkey is sodium-based, officials said.
U.S. studies have suggested that exposure to eronite can cause cancer in lab rats, but erionite is not currently regulated by the EPA as one of the six asbestos fibers.
Erionite Research Having Hard Time Getting Started
North Dakota health officials are trying to organize a scientific study of erionite dangers but are having a hard time finding people to take part in the research. State officials and the EPA want about 50 people who have been exposed to the mineral to undergo chest X-rays and CT scans to be in used in research to be conducted at the University of Cincinnati. But so far, they’ve gotten fewer than 10 volunteers.
Hoping to recruit more test subjects, organizers of the study recently extended the application deadline from April to June 12, 2009.
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