Microscopical Analyses of Asbestos-Containing Dental Tape

2019:175:Millette

Microscope, Vol 67:3 p.99-109

Millette, Compton, DePasquale

Abstract:

Since the 1930s, asbestos-containing dental ring liner tape has been used in making crowns, bridges, and other metal prostheses. Analyses of 10 samples of the tape in this study show a range of 40% to 95% chrysotile together with small amounts of amphibole asbestos. Fibers are released onto a person handling the tape. Several tests performed in both a glove box and in a room-sized chamber showed similar airborne levels of asbestos ranging from 0.5 to 4 fibers per cubic centimeter (F/cc) during handling and tearing of the tape. Two glove box tests suggest that more than 100,000 asbestos fibers greater than 5 μm in length are released during two tears of the dental tape and over two million asbestos fibers greater than 0.5 μm in length are released during two tears.

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