Fargo, N.D. – Asbestos minerals can cause lung cancer, asbestosis, mesothelioma and other lung diseases. And an NDSU geochemist has found those minerals might have transformational properties once inside an individual.

Scott Wood, NDSU professor of geochemistry and dean of the College of Science and Mathematics, will discuss research that suggests asbestos minerals may change into other minerals during a person’s lifetime at the October Science Café titled “A Geochemist’s perspective on the behavior of asbestos minerals in the human lung”.

The event is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 8, at 7 p.m. in Stokers Basement, Hotel Donaldson in Fargo. It’s free and open to the public.

“In the past, most people working in the field have focused entirely on the dissolution of asbestos as the ultimate fate of these minerals in the lungs,” Wood said. “However, our work suggests the strong possibility of transformations of asbestos minerals to other types of minerals while in the lungs, which has important implications for human health.”

NDSU is recognized as one of the nation's top 108 public and private universities by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education.