Jeoloji Münendisliği Dergisi

Wollastonite: A Review

ABSTRACT: Wollastonite is an inosilicate mineral, which is used in the different branches of the national economies in the world. Until 1970s wollastonite had been used as a decorative graywacke; however, from 1980s wollastonite has started to be used in many industries such as ceramics, plastic, rubber, paint, coating, metallurgy by taking the place of the aspestos in the products. Because of its unique cleavage properties, wollastonite breaks down during crushing and grinding in to lathlike or needleshaped particles of varying acicularity. This particle morphology imparts high strength, making it of considerable importance in many markets. In the reports of National Occupational Health and Safety Commision (NOHSC) and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), it has been pointed out that there is no cancerogenic effect on the human body. Accordingly, this consequence gives way to the replacement of industrial minerals and fibers with the wollastonite. In this review, the information about the occurrence, the product, the consumption and the characteristics of wollastonite, its scope of use and technology are provided. In addition, the results of the studies about the toxicology and the epidemiology of the wollastonite are summarized.