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Online edition:ISSN 2434-3404

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Biological effects of refractory ceramic fiber

Refractory ceramic fibers (RCFs) are one of the many man-made mineral fibers (MMMFs) / synthetic vitreous fibers (SVFs) used as alternative products to asbestos fibers. The Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare began to regulate the manufacturing and handling of RCFs under specific chemical disorder prevention rules to reduce the risks of exposure to RCFs since November 1st, 2015. In fact, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) categorized RCFs as group 2B, being possibly carcinogenic to humans, according to results obtained from animal experiments. Thus, given the biological effects of RCFs previously reported in the literature, it is necessary to consider further monitoring in addition to the development of measures to prevent adverse health effects caused by exposure to RFCs. In this review, a summary of the biological effects of refractory ceramic fibers (RCFs) is presented and discussed with respect to toxicity, animal models and epidemiological studies, and a comparison is made with asbestos exposure to outline and clarify the current status pertaining to the biological effects of RCFs. doi:10.11482/KMJ-E41(2)57 (Accepted on October 6, 2015)

Author
Matsuzaki H, et al
Volume
41
Issue
2
Pages
57-63
DOI
10.11482/KMJ-E41(2)57

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