Although asbestos is no longer mined in the United States, prior and ongoing exposures to asbestos continue to contribute to respiratory diseases, including mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis. To examine ongoing issues and concerns in this field, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) drafted a research roadmap, Asbestos Fibers and Other Elongated Mineral Particles: State of the Science and Roadmap for Research, that provides an overview of the state of the science and a plan for future research in areas including toxicology, mineralogy, epidemiology, and exposure assessment.

The focus of the proposed research is on clarifying the relationship between human health effects and the physical and chemical characteristics of a wide range of elongate mineral particles. In 2008, NIOSH asked the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council to form a committee to provide a review of the scientific and technical quality of the January 2009 draft NIOSH Roadmap document. The present volume provides the committee's assessment of the Roadmap and recommendations for strengthening its utility for NIOSH, other federal agencies, the private sector, and other stakeholders.

Contents

• THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
• COMMITTEE FOR THE REVIEW OF THE NIOSH RESEARCH ROADMAP ON ASBESTOS FIBERS AND OTHER ELONGATE MINERAL PARTICLES
• Reviewers
• Preface
• Acronyms
• Summary
• 1. Introduction
  • COMPLEXITIES OF THE ISSUES
  • REFERENCES
• 2. Key Components of the Roadmap
  • PROCESS OF DEVELOPING THE ROADMAP
  • A BROADER RESEARCH STRATEGY
  • KEY COMPONENTS OF THE NIOSH ROADMAP
  • REFERENCES
• 3. Major Scientific Issues: State of the Science and Future Research Directions
  • TERMINOLOGY AND NOMENCLATURE
  • MINERAL CHARACTERIZATION AND STANDARDIZED REFERENCE MINERALS
  • TOXICITY SCREENING AND TESTING
  • EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN ISSUES
  • EPIDEMIOLOGY
  • EXPOSURE ASSESSMENT
  • SPECIFIC COMMENTS
  • REFERENCES
• 4. Recommendations and Next Steps
  • FINDINGS
  • RECOMMENDATIONS
  • STEPS TOWARD A RESEARCH STRATEGY
  • REFERENCE
• A Meeting Agendas
• B Counting Strategies
• C Experimental Design Strategies
• D Biographical Sketches

This study was requested by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and supported by Award No. 211-2006-19152, T.O. #2, between the National Academy of Sciences and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The views presented in this publication are those of the editors and attributing authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of the organizations or agencies that provided support for this project.

Suggested citation:

IOM (Institute of Medicine) and National Research Council. 2009. Review of the NIOSH roadmap for research on asbestos fibers and other elongate mineral particles. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.