Abstract
The risk assessment for the human health of airborne mineral fibres, including asbestos minerals, is a complex task. WebFPTI is a browser-based software written in Python that allows users to calculate an index of toxicity and pathogenicity potential of mineral fibres based on their crystal-chemical-physical properties. WebFPTI can be a powerful tool for both academy and environmental/health institutions to classify the carcinogenicity potential of (respirable) mineral fibres, so that specific actions aimed at protecting workers and general public can be fostered.
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Data availability
The user can access the WebFPTI application via the URL: http://fibers-fpti.unimore.it. The application can be accessed using a Web browser. To get “Contributing users” account, submit your request to one of these email addresses: mauro.leoncini@unimore.it, alessandro.gualtieri@unimore.it, dario.digiuseppe@unimore.it.
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Funding
This research was supported by the grant “Fondi di Ateneo per la Ricerca (FAR 2017)—Fiber potential toxicity Index (FPTI). A quantitative model to evaluate the toxicity and pathogenicity of mineral fibers, including asbestos” and later under the project “Fibres: A Multidisciplinary Mineralogical, Crystal-Chemical and Biological Project to Amend the Paradigm of Toxicity and Cancerogenicity of Mineral Fibres” (PRIN – Bando 2017—Prot. 20173X8WA4).
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A.F.G. conceived the idea and wrote together with D.D.G. the manuscript with the contribution of all the co-authors. M.L. and L. R. made the web-based application. A.F.G, D.G.G. and A.Z. carried out the study concerning fibrous glaucophane.
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Authors confirm that there are no known conflicts of interest associated with this publication and there has been no significant financial support for this work that could have influenced its outcome.
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Communicated by H. Babaie
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Gualtieri, A.F., Leoncini, M., Rinaldi, L. et al. WebFPTI: A tool to predict the toxicity/pathogenicity of mineral fibres including asbestos. Earth Sci Inform 14, 2401–2409 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12145-021-00646-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12145-021-00646-x