Health and Safety Facts for Rock and Slag Wool
Rock and slag wool fall within a group of materials historically referred to as man-made vitreous fibers (MMVF’s), reflecting the glassy, non-crystalline nature of these materials. NAIMA and its member companies are committed to ensuring that rock and slag wool products can be safely manufactured, installed and used. NAIMA member companies have funded tens of millions of dollars of research at leading independent laboratories and universities in the United States and abroad. The weight of the scientific research shows no association between exposure to rock and slag fibers and respiratory disease or cancer in humans.
In October 2001, an international expert review by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) re-evaluated the 1988 IARC assessment of rock and slag wool fibers and removed rock and slag wools from its list of possible carcinogens. The result of this re-evaluation was a downgrading in the classification of these fibers from Group 2B (possible carcinogen) to Group 3 (not classifiable as to carcinogenicity in humans).