IARC's designation of crystalline silica as a “probable carcinogen” triggered the requirement to label products containing greater than 0.1 % crystalline silica. For perlite and other materials which may contain crystalline silica in levels close to 0.1% an accurate determination is critical from both legal and marketing considerations.

Existing analytical techniques for the determination of crystalline silica at levels of less than 1.0% were found to be inadequate to meet the new requirements. An improved technique based on x-ray diffraction has been developed specifically to analyze perlite for crystalline silica, which occurs largely in the form of quartz, at the 0.1%. level. The technique employs long counting times and improved sample preparation and mounting to increase both precision and accuracy, and to lower the detection limit to less than 0.1%.

The technique was tested on a large number of samples from a variety of sources and proven to give excellent results for all types of expanded perlites and perlite ores. The procedures developed are applicable to a wide variety of materials in addition to perlite.