Demonstration of nitric oxide on asbestos and silicon carbide fibers with a new ultraviolet spectrophotometric assay.

Nitric oxide (NO) has a number of important functions in biological systems and may play a role in the toxicity of mineral fibers. We investigated whether NO might be present on the surface of mineral fibers and if crocidolite could adsorb NO from NO gas or cigarette smoke. NO was determined with a new gas chromatography-ultraviolet spectrophotometric technique after thermal desorption from the fiber surface and injection in a gas flow cell. NO was found in different amounts on chrysotile B, crocidolite, amosite, and silicon carbide whiskers. There was a strong correlation between the amount of NO and the specific surface area of these fibers (r = 0.98). NO could not be demonstrated on rockwool fibers [man-made vitreous fiber(s) (MMVF)21 and MMVF22] or silicon nitride whiskers. NO on crocidolite, amosite, and silicon carbide whiskers was readily desorbed from the fibers at increased temperature, while NO on chrysotile B seemed to be more firmly adsorbed to the fiber and required a longer period of time to be desorbed. The amount of NO bound to crocidolite increased from 34 micrograms/g fiber to 85 and 474 micrograms/g after exposing the fibers to cigarette smoke and NO gas, respectively. These findings indicate that a) NO adsorbs to fiber surfaces, b) some fibers adsorb more NO than others, c) some fibers adsorb NO more strongly than others, and d) the amounts of NO on fibers may be increased after exposure of the fiber to cigarette smoke or other sources of NO. The biological significance of NO on mineral fibers remains to be investigated.