Drastic reduction of asbestos toxicity by microwave radiation

The origin of airborne particles of asbestos is found to be related to the crystallographical structure of the asbestos allied with electrostatic charges of the fibres. The small strips of mineral, four to five cations wide, break due to the electrostatic repulsion between the strips. A microwave irradiation increases the bulk number of positive charges, and as consequence reduces the electrostatic repulsion between fibers and hence the probability of airborne particles. The increase of the number of positive charges in the bulk is shown by Moessbauer spectroscopy. As the peroxidation is the main mechanism of inducing fibrosis and two types of cancers viz bronchogenic and mesothelioma, one expects a major reduction of the toxicity of the microwave irradiated fibres compared to untreated fibres. (author)