Erionite, a naturally occurring fibrous zeolite mineral that is a designated Group 1 carcinogen due to its hazardous potential when disturbed or inhaled. Previous research suggesting maybe 800x more carcinogenic than asbestos. The MBIE Endeavour funded research project “Assessing and managing the risk of carcinogenic erionite in New Zealand”, has been Identify the presence of erionite in rocks, soils and air across New Zealand to understand the potential risk this naturally occurring mineral poses to people’s health.
In New Zealand erionite has been found in numerous locations throughout the North and South islands, within different rock types, soils, concentrations and forms. A wide range of methods have been employed to detect erionite in rocks, soils and air including Scanning Electron Microscopy, X-Ray Powder Diffraction, Transmission Electron Microscopy, Electron Microprobe Analysis and micro-Raman spectroscopy. In-vitro toxicity tests have also been conducted on two of the erionite samples from New Zealand
This information is being used to better understand the risk erionite poses to people’s heath in New Zealand.