Recently we have expanded our chemical characterization of complex silicates (e.g., amphiboles and sheet silicates) to include their interactions with select biocells. In this regard we are beginning to simulate features related to certain infamous, and still not completely understood, deleterious environmental maladies, such as silicosis and asbestosis. It has been recognized that the surfaces of the silicates and interfaces with the cells may play particularly active roles in these processes, thus leading to the need for x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) investigations of the surface chemistry. The present research describes examinations of the interactive chemistry of rat tumor cells grown on various asbestoses, before, during, and after interaction, followed by both cell/silicate separation and unique freeze drying. The former permits separate analysis of the two systems, while the latter documents features induced during the separation process. Aspects detected by XPS include some of the features of the cells, plus the cell induced alterations in the Si, Mg, and Fe chemistry of the silicates and also changes in the relative amount and chemistry of the cellular iron. The latter studies were confirmed by atomic absorption spectroscopy. Supporting results have also been achieved with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The various XPS shift patterns are shown to be consistent with differences between the different silicates, e.g., amphiboles such as cummingtonite, both before and after reaction with similar rat cells. These unique investigations may eventually lead to suggestions for general mechanisms for these environmentally induced diseases.