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Minerals and Clay Minerals in Medical Geology ⁎ Celso De Sousa Figueiredo Gomes , João Baptista Pereira Silva

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Minerals and Clay Minerals in Medical Geology ⁎ Celso De Sousa Figueiredo Gomes , João Baptista Pereira Silva Applied Clay Science 36 (2007) 4–21 www.elsevier.com/locate/clay Minerals and clay minerals in medical geology ⁎ Celso de Sousa Figueiredo Gomes , João Baptista Pereira Silva Centro de Investigação “Minerais Industriais e Argilas” da Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT), Universidade de Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal Received 17 April 2006; received in revised form 1 August 2006; accepted 8 August 2006 Available online 30 January 2007 Abstract Medical geology is an emergent field of science that for some authors deals with the relationships between the geological environment and health problems in humans, animals and plants. Chemical elements, minerals, rocks, soils, water and air are the essential components of the geologic environment. Both quality and quantity of these components condition very much the living quality and the life duration, due to the beneficial and hazardous effects they have upon organisms, man, other animals, and plants. Medical geology is a multidisciplinary scientific field shared by specialists of distinct areas and scientific domains, such as earth sciences, environmental sciences, medicine, public health, biology, biochemistry, chemistry, pharmacy, nutrition, and others. Certain diseases are attributed to several minerals sensu latu (concept that includes the minerals sensu restrictu considered as natural, inorganic and crystalline solids, the so-called oligoelements or trace minerals, the biominerals and mineral resources such as natural mineral water), naturally or humanly derived. Within minerals, clay minerals, the essential constituents of clays, are omnipresent at the earth surface where organisms live, and due to their specific properties they can interact, positively as a rule, with them. Some clay minerals are being used, either as active principles (gastrointestinal protectors, laxatives, antidiarrhoeaics), or as excipients (inert bases, emulsifiers, lubricants) in certain medicines. Also they participate in formulations used for topical applications in both dermopharmacy and dermocosmetics. © 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Keywords: Minerals; Trace minerals; Biominerals; Clays; Clay minerals; Medical geology 1. Medical geology regarding the interactions between these components, as well as the beneficial and hazardous effects they have Man created in nature dependant on it for his survival upon organisms: man, other animals, and plants. Empiri- and pleasure and the natural environment are two very cal knowledge related to human health, the practice of complex entities made up of many components and vari- which is called “Empirical Medicine”, is essential in ables, which are not yet fully identified and the interaction many aspects of man's life and activity. Man quest for is still far from being satisfactorily understood. rational explanations based on science and technology. Chemical elements, minerals, rocks, soils, water and Step by step, man increased his knowledge of the air are the essentials of the natural environment, and over interaction between minerals and other geo-resources the years man has progressively accumulated experience (such as soil, spring, sea and underground water) and human health by using the accumulated experience and ⁎ Corresponding author. scientific information, both fundamental and applied, E-mail address: [email protected] (C.S.F. Gomes). provided by specialists of distinct areas and scientific 0169-1317/$ - see front matter © 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.clay.2006.08.006 C.S.F. Gomes, J.B.P. Silva / Applied Clay Science 36 (2007) 4–21 5 domains (chemistry, biochemistry, biology, biotechnol- Anyhow, the emerging scientific field of Medical ogy, mineralogy, geochemistry, hydrochemistry, materi- Geology, according to the authors who have introduced als science, medicine, public health, pharmacy, nutrition, this expression, deals with the impacts of the natural and others). environment on public health, such as: 1) exposure to The recognition that an intimate relationship exists toxic levels of trace elements, such as, arsenic, cad- between the environment, particularly the geologic ma- mium, lead, uranium and mercury; 2) deficiency of terials and processes and human/animal health, has led to essential trace elements; 3) exposure to mineral dusts; the recent development of a new field of science called 4) exposure to radioactivity and radon. Medical Geology (Finkelman et al., 2001; Selinus, Centeno et al. (2005) consider Medical Geology as a 2002; Bowman et al., 2003; Selinus, 2004; Bunnell, complement of Environmental Medicine since it deals 2004; Centeno et al., 2005; Selinus et al., 2005). The last with the impacts of geological materials and processes mentioned reference corresponds to the book entitled on human and animal health. These same authors point “Essentials of Medical Geology: Impacts of the Natural out that the practitioners of Medical Geology should be Environment on the Public Health”. In our opinion it is involved in the following tasks: 1) to identify the an excellent book containing vast and very relevant environmental causes of known health problems and, in information, however essentially limited to the negative collaboration with biomedical/public health researchers, effects of some geologic resources and processes on to seek solutions to prevent or minimize these problems; human health. However, clays and clay minerals, consid- 2) to identify geochemical anomalies in soils, sediments, ered as being the first materials used by man for thera- and waters that may impact on health; 3) to reassure the peutic purposes have not received much treatment in public when there are not warranted environmental the book. The several topics dealt with in the book health concerns deriving from geo-materials and were classified into four main sections: Environmental processes; 4) to assess the beneficial health effects of Biology; Pathways and Exposures; Environmental Tox- geo-materials and processes. icology, Pathology and Medical Geology; Techniques The terms Geomedicine and Environmental Geo- and Tools. chemistry have been traditionally used. According to Taking into account the foreseen scope of the expres- Selinus et al. (2005) Ziess, in 1931, was the first who sion Medical Geology we consider it as far of being introduced the term Geomedicine, and considered it perfect as Bunnell (2004) has considered too. This synonymous with Geographic Medicine, which he author rather prefers the expression Geology and Public defined as “a branch of medicine where geographical Health. and cartographical methods are used to present medical On the one hand, the term Geology refers to a sci- research results”. entific area with a scope not limited to chemical ele- Some decades later, Läg (1990) in Norway redefined ments and minerals, which apparently are the main the term Geomedicine as the “science dealing with the intervening or conditioning factors on human/animal influence of ordinary environmental factors on the health. Geology is the study of the Earth in terms of its geographic distribution of health problems in man and development as a planet since its origin, and includes the animals”. It was in Nordic countries, particularly in history of its life forms, the materials of which it is made Norway, that research in Geomedicine was most and processes that affect these materials. How could, for considered and developed. Läg (1990), a soil scientist, instance, plate tectonics and geological mapping have mentions a working group “Soil Science and Geomedi- direct influence on human living quality? However, cine” within the framework of the International Union of minerals and chemical elements (either natural or Soil Science. More recently, Gomes and Silva (2001) anthropogenic) have direct impacts (benefits and risks) have used the term Geomedicine, too. Presently, the term on human health, the reason why both geochemical and Geomedicine is being deferred by the expression Medi- mineralogical surveys of soils, sediments and waters are cal Geology, an emerging scientific field dealing with the of paramount importance. impacts of the natural environment on public health. On the other hand, the term Medical refers to the The expression Environmental Medicine is also scientific area Medicine, having a scope not exclusively employed, according to Fowles et al. (2005), for studies limited to the identification and interpretation of the how environment affects health, including the practice impacts of both chemical elements and minerals on to minimize any adverse effects. For instance, it has human/animal health. As a matter of fact, Medicine is been estimated that over 80% of all cancers are based on three interdependent basic pillars: scientific environmentally induced, and this estimation includes information, diagnosis and therapeutic. cancers from smoking, dietary carcinogens, and 6 C.S.F. Gomes, J.B.P. Silva / Applied Clay Science 36 (2007) 4–21 exposure to polluted air and water, in addition to cancers In medical terms, the assessment of both the positive due to cosmic and solar radiation. and negative effects of minerals s.l. requires further Yushkin (2004) considers the importance, in modern research by in vivo and in vitro experiments and well- mineralogy investigations, of two new research lines: planned and systematized epidemiological studies. In Environmental Mineralogy (section of Mineralogy fact, medical diagnosis and treatment of environmen- addressed to the investigation of the mineralogical factors tally
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