Safety of Material
Precautions need to be taken when handling a fiber product, as it can irritate the eyes, skin and respiratory tract. Prolonged exposure could lead to long-term effects, and some types of mineral wool are considered a possible carcinogen to humans, similar to asbestos. This effect may depend upon the fiber diameter and length, chemical composition and persistence within the body.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has reviewed the carcinogenicity of man-made mineral fibres in October 2002. The IARC Monograph's working group concluded only the more biopersistent materials remain classified by IARC as "possibly carcinogenic to humans" (Group 2B). These include refractory ceramic fibres, which are used industrially as insulation in high-temperature environments such as blast furnaces, and certain special-purpose glass wools not used as insulating materials. In contrast, the more commonly used vitreous fibre wools, including insulation glass wool, stone wool and slag wool, are considered "not classifiable as to carcinogenicity in humans" (Group 3).
High biosoluble fibres (HT-fibres) are produced that do not cause damage to the human cell. These newer materials have been tested for carcinogenicity and most are found to be noncarcinogenic, or to cause tumours in experimental animals only under very restricted conditions of exposure. The IARC Monograph's working group "elected not to make an overall evaluation of the newly developed fibres designed to be less biopersistent such as the alkaline earth silicate or highalumina, low-silica wools. This decision was made in part because no human data were available, although such fibres that have been tested appear to have low carcinogenic potential in experimental animals, and because the Working Group had difficulty in categorizing these fibres into meaningful groups based on chemical composition."
This irritation to the skin is not a chemical irritation, but only a temporary mechanical irritation, comparable with exposure of the skin to bio soluble materials such as straw, grass, or hay.
Read more about this topic: Mineral Wool
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