Development of a new mineral dust monitoring method incorporating genotoxicity assessment: field measurements

This project sought to investigate the surface reactivities of a wide range of minerals extracted from South Australian mines and quarries. Conventional occupational hygiene dust sampling methods were combined with a laboratory assay which measures the production of DNA-damaging hydroxyl radicals. A standard set of laboratory analytical conditions were established, and in this way the relative reactivities of airborne and bulk dust samples were compared.