Mineralogical and Geochemical Fingerprinting of Potentially Toxic Elements (PTEs) in Asbestos and Non-Asbestos Tremolite: Implications for Human Health

Our plain-English summary of Mineralogical and Geochemical Fingerprinting of Potentially Toxic Elements (PTEs) in Asbestos and Non-Asbestos Tremolite: Implications for Human Health, by A. Bloise, I. Fuoco, G. Vespasiano, et al (GeoHealth, 2026).

The study

• Authors: A. Bloise, I. Fuoco, G. Vespasiano, E. Giorno, A. Pacella, S. Filicetti, M.F. La Russa, D. Pereira, C. Piersante, C. Apollaro
• Journal: GeoHealth
• Published: 2026;10(5):e2026GH001853
• Cited by: 1 article, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

Abstract

This paper aims to comprehensively investigate the content of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in 11 tremolite samples to better understanding of their potential effects on human health. Accurate characterization of trace element concentrations in asbestos mineral fibers is crucial to elucidate their potential synergistic contribution to the mechanisms of asbestos-induced carcinogenesis and related pathologies, particularly in light of the documented involvement of elements such as Ni and Cr in the etiology of lung cancer. Samples were collected from diverse geological settings: San Severino Lucano and Iacolinei (Basilicata region, South Italy), Val Malenco (Lombardy region, North Italy), Praborna and Verrayes (Aosta Valley, North Italy), Monastero di Lanzo, Bracchiello, Caprie (Piedmont region, North Italy), Reventino (Calabria region, South Italy), Campolungo (Ticino Alps, Swiss), and Fowler (St. Lawrence Co., New York, USA). PTEs concentrations were determined using Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry. The distribution of PTEs among different tremolite types was compared and discussed to provide a comprehensive overview of the data set.Tremolite asbestos samples showed variable concentrations of trace elements, with Mn (691.5 ppm) and Ni (474.2 ppm) being the most abundant. Samples from Monastero di Lanzo exhibited the highest total PTEs content (4,709 ppm). Statistical analyses revealed a consistent geochemical contrast: asbestos tremolite is systematically enriched in Mn and Ni, leading to higher overall PTEs levels, while prismatic tremolite is defined by very low Mn-Ni contents. The observed elemental variability reflects distinct geological settings that influence PTEs incorporation and potentially affect toxicity.

© 2026 The Author(s). GeoHealth published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Geophysical Union.

In plain English

This was a laboratory analysis of mineral samples. No people or animals were studied. The authors measured 13 trace elements, which they call potentially toxic elements, in 11 tremolite samples from Italy, Switzerland and the USA. Eight samples were fibrous (asbestos) and three were prismatic (non-asbestos). Tested one element at a time, only manganese differed significantly between fibrous and prismatic tremolite (p = 0.00031); chromium, copper and nickel did not. Analyzed together, chromium, copper, manganese and nickel separated the two forms (MANOVA p = 0.00335), and cluster analysis grouped all fibrous samples together. Averaged over all 11 samples, manganese was 691.51 ppm and nickel 474.21 ppm. The highest nickel was 805.34 ppm (Bracchiello) and the highest manganese was 1,586.17 ppm (Praborna). A non-asbestos sample (Campolungo) had the highest chromium and copper. The Monastero di Lanzo sample had the highest summed element content. The authors concluded that manganese-nickel enrichment is a geochemical fingerprint of asbestos tremolite and suggested these elements may add to its toxicity. That suggestion was not tested here. They noted that tiny impurity particles could not be fully removed.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Laboratory geochemical analysis of mineral samples (trace elements measured by ICP-OES, compared using t-tests, MANOVA, PCA, discriminant analysis and cluster analysis); no human or animal subjects
• Who was studied: 11 tremolite samples. Eight were fibrous tremolite asbestos: San Severino Lucano, Val Malenco, Praborna, Monastero di Lanzo, Iacolinei, Reventino, Verrayes and Bracchiello (Italy). Three were prismatic non-asbestos tremolite: Fowler (New York, USA), Caprie (Italy) and Campolungo (Ticino Alps, Switzerland). Several samples also contained serpentine, talc or other minerals. Collection dates are not given.
• Exposure: No human exposure was studied. The study measured the content of 13 trace elements (Ag, As, Ba, Co, Cr, Cu, Li, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sn, Zn, Zr) in fibrous (asbestos) versus prismatic (non-asbestos) tremolite.
• Main results:
  • Fibrous vs prismatic tremolite, one element at a time: only manganese differed significantly (p = 0.00031). Chromium, copper and nickel did not; nickel showed a non-significant trend toward higher values in fibrous samples.
  • Fibrous vs prismatic tremolite, elements combined: Cr, Cu, Mn and Ni together significantly separated the two forms (p = 0.00335; Wilks' lambda = 0.096). The first two principal components explained 83.6% of the variance.
  • Cluster analysis grouped all eight fibrous samples into one cluster, separate from the three prismatic samples.
  • Nickel: highest in the Bracchiello asbestos sample (805.34 ppm); below the detection limit in the Fowler non-asbestos sample.
  • Manganese: highest in the Praborna asbestos sample (1,586.17 ppm); lowest in the Campolungo non-asbestos sample (78.01 ppm).
  • Chromium, copper and zinc: highest in the Campolungo non-asbestos sample (Cr 283.69 ppm, Cu 633.57 ppm, Zn 347.52 ppm).
  • Averages across the 11 samples: Mn 691.51 ppm, Ni 474.21 ppm, Cu 235.30 ppm, Cr 119.81 ppm, Zn 131.75 ppm.
  • Ag, As, Ba, Co, Pb and Sn were below the detection limit in all but one sample each. Arsenic (66.96 ppm) and cobalt (208.56 ppm) were found only in the Praborna sample. Ag (20.11 ppm), Ba (89.58 ppm), Pb (18.28 ppm) and Sn (26.50 ppm) were found only in the Monastero di Lanzo sample.
  • Summed element content was highest in the Monastero di Lanzo sample, followed by the Praborna sample.
  • At least two of the three prismatic (non-asbestos) samples had lower overall content of these elements than the fibrous samples.
  • In the authors' comparison with published values, Co, Cr, Mn, Ni and Pb levels in these samples exceeded those reported for quartz and the typical ranges reported for human lung tissue.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that manganese-nickel enrichment is a geochemical fingerprint of the asbestos (fibrous) form of tremolite. They proposed it as a diagnostic tool to be used alongside morphological and crystallographic methods. They suggested that these elements, likely released as fibers dissolve in the lung, may contribute to tremolite's toxicity. This suggestion was not tested in this study.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • Impurities were removed by hand, but micro- and nano-sized particles of other minerals could not be fully removed and may have contributed to the measured chemistry.

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Tremolite, Mineral Fiber, Carcinogenesis, Etiology, Lung Cancer, Campolungo.

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