Erionite is a naturally-occurring fibrous zeolite mineral present in some rocks and soils. It is usually found in volcanic ash altered by weathering and groundwater, and recrystallised as zeolite. It is an “asbestiform” because it forms mineral fibres, and like asbestos, if inhaled, can lead to diseases like malignant mesothelioma (MM). Nevertheless, erionite is generally acknowledged as being more carcinogenic than asbestos minerals. Aotearoa/New Zealand has one of the highest MM rates in the western world. We describe preliminary results from erionite in Auckland, provide observations about asbestiform fibres and disease in the Aotearoa-Pacific Island region, and briefly outline avenues for research.

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Aotearoa/新西兰的毛沸石石棉纤维和健康风险：研究报告

毛沸石是一种天然存在的纤维状沸石矿物，存在于某些岩石和土壤中。它通常存在于因风化和地下水而改变的火山灰中，并重结晶为沸石。它是一种“石棉状”，因为它会形成矿物纤维，并且像石棉一样，如果被吸入，会导致恶性间皮瘤 (MM) 等疾病。然而，毛沸石被普遍认为比石棉矿物更致癌。Aotearoa/新西兰是西方世界 MM 发病率最高的地区之一。我们描述了奥克兰毛沸石的初步结果，提供了有关 Aotearoa-Pacific Island 地区石棉纤维和疾病的观察结果，并简要概述了研究途径。