Some factors affecting the haemolytic activity of silicate minerals

Some factors affecting the haemolytic activity of silicate mineral dusts have been investigated. The effects of mineral concentration and time of incubation with erythrocytes were in agreement with the results of other workers. Investigation of the haemolytic activity of quartz suspensions with different particle numbers per unit weight showed that the degree of haemolysis was dependent on the number of particles present rather than their total surface area.

When mixtures of different minerals were considered it was evident that the amount of haemolysis occurring was not necessarily the sum of the haemolytic activities of the individual constituent minerals. The results are discussed with regard to the use of haemolytic techniques for screening potentially harmful dusts.