Does Exposure to Naturally Occurring Asbestos (NOA) During Dam Construction Increase Mesothelioma Risk?

The Calaveras Dam Replacement Project, a major construction project completed in 2019, involved hundreds of workers using heavy earth-moving equipment and mining operations, including blasting, drilling, rock crushing, and other operations designed to move millions of cubic yards of earth. Much of the material was composed of serpentinite, blueschist, and other rocks that contain chrysotile and a variety of amphibole minerals, including glaucophane, winchite, actinolite, tremolite, and other asbestos-related amphiboles. This article explores the unique characteristics of the blueschist that required extensive protective measures to be undertaken by the contractor to protect workers and surrounding sensitive receptors. This article will provide an overall summary of the dimensional characteristics of the airborne blueschist elongate mineral particles encountered during construction activities to compare and contrast current understanding of cleavage fragments versus asbestiform mineral fibers.