Effects of nonfibrous minerals in the V79-4 cytotoxicity test.

The use of the V79-4 system as a primary screen for fiber carcinogenicity is dependent on the observed correlation between cytotoxicity of the test material in the system and mesothelioma following intrapleural injection in animals. This correlation has been established for relatively pure samples of fibrous minerals. The wider application of the system as a screen for industrial dusts may depend on the ability of the system to show an unequivocal response to small yet significant percentages of fibrous dust in the presence of a large excess of nonfibrous material. Some materials tested, including platy minerals, show a response in the test which, while clearly less than that from UICC asbestos samples, could be construed as a positive result. Some, though not all, of these minerals show a nonlinear dose response in the test. This anomalous dose response may aid in the identification of some false positive results but the variety of responses to nonfibrous minerals places a limit on the predictive value of the test mixtures. Results obtained from mixtures of "standard" dust samples suggest this limit is reached at or above 10% fibrous content. Such levels would be significant in terms of human exposure. Extension of the concentration range tested does not improve the predictive value of the test.