Mesothelioma, a rare cancer affecting the lining of the lungs, chest wall, and abdominal cavity, is caused by toxin-induced inflammation of this membrane, a thin layer of cells known as the mesothelium. Up until the late 1970s, mesothelioma had only been attributed to exposure to asbestos, a naturally occurring mineral used for many years in different industrial and commercial products. Exposure was, for the most part, occupational in nature.

But, as a recent report by Myron Levin of FairWarning.org indicates, there may indeed be yet another toxic culprit responsible for mesothelioma deaths across the world; erionite. Erionite is yet another naturally-occurring mineral, of which, exposure to has now been correlated directly with the development of mesothelioma in communities located within the vicinity of these natural deposits. Perhaps there was no more troubling a lens into the toxicity of erionite than in the small villages of Turkey, designated “cancer villages,” where mesothelioma was attributed as the cause of death for 40-50% of the villagers.

Animal testing performed in mice indicated that toxicity of the mineral was 500 times more carcinogenic than asbestos, leading researchers to conclude that erionite was “almost certainly the most toxic naturally-occurring fibrous mineral known.”

While the devastation of near entire communities as a result of erionite exposure in Turkey was indeed disturbing, the fact was that it seemed like a distant epidemic. But now, more disturbing is that we are learning about how truly pervasive erionite exposure could potentially become- even in the continental United States. The truth is that there are dozens of validated erionite deposits throughout the Western United States. Despite the known hazards, there is still little public knowledge of the inherent risk.

Mindful that the hazard likely requires some federal level of response, next week the National Institutes of Health and Environmental Protection Agency and the United States Geological Survey will meet next week to discuss the risks of erionite and other hazardous minerals.

“At a minimum, we can begin to start to educate the public and policymakers,” said Dr. Aubrey Miller, a representative of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. “I certainly don’t want to count bodies later,” he added.

Likely driving domestic oversight efforts was the recent disclosure that erionite was found in North Dakota road gravel, which covered hundreds of miles of unpaved roads, including those along school bus and recreational vehicle sites.

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