What I mean by direct is the interaction of the asbestos fiber or talc fiber or particle with DNA in the cell eliciting mutations. The mechanisms of causation of these diseases have been shown to be either direct or indirect. This type of fibrosis is referred to as granulomas. Talc in relatively high doses is also known to cause fibrotic lesions, specifically in the lung. Further, asbestos, generally in high doses is a well-known cause of interstitial fibrosis, asbestosis, and pleural plaques in lungs. In the case of talc and talcum powder products, it has been implicated as causing these tumors either indirectly because it is contaminated with asbestos or the talc is a carcinogen or co-carcinogen even without the contaminating asbestos. The asbestos has been classified as a carcinogen and has been known to cause lung cancers, mesotheliomas, gastrointestinal cancers and more recently has been implicated in causing ovarian cancers and others. The effects range from tumors to fibrosis. These mined minerals, both asbestos and talc, have in the past been used in many products and have been shown to have detrimental effects in humans and animals when they enter the body of these organisms. The talc is a basic H 2Mg 3Si 4O 10(OH) 2. The elemental composition of these six types of asbestos is seen in Table 1. They are mined in both open and closed type mines. The amphiboles consist of crocidolite, amosite, anthophyllite, tremolite and actinolite. The serpentines principally are chrysotile and the amphiboles consist of five different types based on the ratio of the Mg to Si and other elements that are integrated into the molecular structure. The types are divided in two groups, serpentine and amphiboles. They are also defined initially by their color when in the ground and raw, by their size, shape, how they were formed and their crystalline structure by light and electron microscopy. There are numerous publications defining the mineralogic nature of these minerals throughout the literature besides what is stated in Virta. These minerals are defined by the presence of these elements and their ratio one to another. They can have other ions as well and those include sodium (Na) calcium (Ca) or manganese (Mn) along with the Mg and Si. An important feature of many of the types is that they may or may not contain iron when they are removed during mining.
![tem diffraction pattern analysis asbestos tem diffraction pattern analysis asbestos](https://nano.oxinst.com/assets/components/phpthumbof/cache/Asbestos_analysis_in_the_TEM.31e92c278a173997995f7677dfb43f11.png)
The asbestos is defined as having six different types of magnesium (Mg) silicates (Si). Briefly, asbestos and talc are minerals that are mined from the earth. One of the best and concise reviews of what has been defined as asbestos is in a report by the U.S. Department of the Interior: U.S. Geological Survey by Virta.