ABSTRACT
Asbestos, a mineral of phyllosilicate nature, known for its unique combination of properties, such as thermal and chemical resistivity, inability to conduct electricity, and low cost of mining and manufacture, has been extensively used since World War II up to the near past, until it was declared a Group I definite carcinogen by International Agency for Research on Cancer, an unit of World Health Organization in the year 1987. This leads to a ban being imposed on asbestos in several parts of the globe. Yet the continued use in some Asian countries, in particular, post the declaration raised severe issues of health hazards. The carcinogenicity of asbestos is attributed to the fiber dimensions, biopersistence, and surface properties that cause mesothelioma, asbestosis, and lung cancer in people exposed to it. Multiple mechanisms operate to induce carcinoma by generating cell transformation, chromosomal aberrations, single- and double-stranded DNA breaks, free radical generation, micronuclei induction in cells, and disturbed immune system. A series of successful experiments on animal models has by far established that asbestos is a complete carcinogen. Efforts to deal with the toxicity of asbestos have led researchers to seek ways of physical, chemical, or biological remediation. This review gives a detailed insight into the carcinogenic effects of asbestos as envisaged by studies on various animal models. It also attempts at summarizing some of the probable detoxification or bioremediation strategies that can be used for asbestos treatment in the near future rendering it safe.
