Treatment of aqueous suspensions of different asbestos fibers (amosite, anthophyllite, chrysotile, and crocidolite) at 0-4 degrees C and pH 7.2 with H2O2 results in the consumption of H2O2 with concomitant release of iron and production of O2. During incubations, [H2O2] decreased in proportion to the mass of the suspended fiber, the duration of incubation, and the initial [H2O2]. The consumption of H2O2, production of O2 and release of iron all vary synergistically with the structure of the asbestos fiber. Release of silicon during the incubation was small relative to the decrement in [H2O2], reflecting a lack of dissolution of the fiber. The data are consistent with a redox process for the release of surface bound iron and it is significant that iron release occurs in the absence of a Fe(II) or Fe(III) chelator. The implications of iron release from the asbestos surface may be important in inflammatory disorders in which both silicate bound iron and H2O2 accumulate.