The Dangers of Exposure to Asbestos

Asbestos was used in a variety of commercial products before it was banned. Studies have shown that exposure to asbestos can cause cancer as well as other health issues.

You cannot tell if something contains asbestos by looking at it, and you cannot taste or smell it. Asbestos is only detectable when the material containing it is broken, drilled, or chipped.

Chrysotile

At its peak, chrysotile made the majority of the asbestos production. It was employed in many industries which included construction insulation, fireproofing and insulation. However, if workers were exposed for long periods to this toxic substance, they could develop mesothelioma or other asbestos related diseases. Fortunately, the use of this harmful mineral has diminished drastically since mesothelioma awareness started to grow in the 1960's. However, asbestos trace amounts of it remain in products that we use today.

Chrysotile can be safely used when a thorough safety and handling plan is in place. It has been found that, at today's controlled exposure levels, there isn't an danger to those who handle the substance. Inhaling airborne fibers is strongly linked to lung cancer and lung fibrosis. This has been confirmed for both intensity (dose) and the duration of exposure.

One study that looked into the operation of a factory that utilized almost all chrysotile as its friction materials, compared the mortality rates of this factory with national mortality rates. It was found that, over the course of 40 years, processing chrysotile asbestos at low levels of exposure there was no significant additional mortality in this factory.

Chrysotile fibres are usually shorter than other types of asbestos lawsuit. They can pass through the lungs, and then pass through the bloodstream. They are more likely to cause health issues than fibres with longer lengths.

When chrysotile mixes with cement, it's extremely difficult for the fibres to be airborne and pose any health risks. Fibre cement products are utilized in many areas of the world including hospitals and schools.

Research has proven that chrysotile is less likely to cause illness than amphibole asbestos, like amosite and crocidolite. These amphibole types are the primary source of mesothelioma as well as other asbestos-related diseases. When chrysotile gets mixed with cement, it creates an extremely durable and flexible building product that can withstand the most extreme conditions in the weather and other environmental hazards. It is also easy to clean after use. Professionals can safely get rid of asbestos fibres after they have been removed.

Amosite

Asbestos is a category of silicate minerals with fibrous structure that naturally occur in certain types of rock formations. It is divided into six groups that include amphibole (serpentine), Tremolite (tremolite), anthophyllite (crocidolite) and anthophyllite.

Asbestos minerals are composed of thin, long fibers that range in length from fine to wide. They can also be straight or curled. They are present in nature as individual fibrils or bundles with splaying ends called a fibril matrix. Asbestos minerals can be found as a powder (talc) or mixed with other minerals and sold as vermiculite and talcum powder, which have been widely used in consumer products such as baby powder, face powder and cosmetics.

Asbestos was heavily used in the early two-thirds of the 20th century to construct shipbuilding insulation, fireproofing, insulation and various other construction materials. The majority of occupational exposures were asbestos fibres borne by air, but certain workers were exposed to vermiculite or talc that was contaminated, and to fragments of asbestos-bearing rocks (ATSDR 2001). Exposures varied from industry industry, era era and also from geographical location.

Most of the asbestos exposures at work were because of inhalation, but certain workers were exposed via skin contact or by eating food contaminated with asbestos. Asbestos is now only found in the environment due to the natural weathering of mined ore and the deterioration of products contaminated with asbestos such as insulation, car brakes and clutches and ceiling and floor tiles.

There is evidence emerging that non-commercial amphibole fibres may also be carcinogenic. These are the fibres that do not form the tightly knit fibrils of the amphibole and serpentine minerals, but instead are flexible, loose and needle-like. They can be found in mountain sandstones, cliffs and sandstones in a variety of countries.

Asbestos enters the environment mainly as airborne particles, but it can also leach into soil and water. This can be due to both natural (weathering of asbestos-bearing rocks) and anthropogenic causes (disintegration of asbestos-containing wastes and disposal in landfill sites). Asbestos contamination of ground and surface water is mostly due to natural weathering, but it has also been triggered by anthropogenic activities such as milling and mining demolition and dispersal asbestos-containing materials as well as the disposal of contaminated soils for disposal in landfills (ATSDR 2001). Asbestos fibres that are emitted from the air are the main cause of illness in people exposed to asbestos during their job.

Crocidolite

Inhalation exposure is the most common method of exposure to asbestos fibres. These fibres can get into the lungs which can cause serious health issues. Mesothelioma as well as asbestosis and other diseases are caused by asbestos fibres. Exposure to asbestos fibers can also take place in other ways, such as contact with contaminated clothes or building materials. The risks of exposure are more pronounced when crocidolite, a blue form of asbestos, is involved. Crocidolite fibers are softer and less brittle which makes them more difficult to breathe in. They can also get deeper inside lung tissue. It has been associated with more mesothelioma cases than other types of asbestos.

The six major types of asbestos are chrysotile, amosite and tremolite. They are epoxiemite, tremol anthophyllite, and actinolite. Amosite and chrysotile are the most frequently used types of asbestos and account for 95% of commercial asbestos currently used. The other four types haven't been as extensively used but they can be found in older buildings. They are less hazardous than amosite and chrysotile, but they may pose a danger when mixed with other asbestos minerals or when mined close to other mineral deposits, such as talc or vermiculite.

Numerous studies have shown the connection between stomach cancer and asbestos exposure. However the evidence isn't conclusive. Some researchers have cited a SMR (standardized death ratio) of 1.5 (95% confidence interval: 0.7-3.6), for all asbestos workers, while others report an SMR of 1,24 (95% confidence interval: 0.76-2.5), for workers in chrysotile mines and mills.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classed all asbestos types as carcinogenic. All kinds of asbestos can cause mesothelioma or other health issues, however the risk is dependent on the amount of exposure that individuals are exposed to, the type of asbestos involved, the duration of their exposure and the manner in which it is breathed in or consumed. IARC has stated that the best option for people is to avoid all types of asbestos. If you've been exposed to asbestos and suffer from respiratory issues or mesothelioma, then you should seek advice from your physician or NHS111.

Amphibole

Amphiboles are a grouping of minerals that can create prism-like or needle-like crystals. They are an inosilicate mineral composed of double chains of SiO4 molecules. They have a monoclinic arrangement of crystals, but some have an orthorhombic structure. The general formula of an amphibole is A0-1B2C5T8O22(OH,F)2. The double chains comprise (Si, Al)O4 tetrahedrons linked together in a series of six tetrahedrons. The tetrahedrons are separated from one another with octahedral strips.

Amphibole minerals are prevalent in igneous and metamorphic rocks. They are usually dark and hard. They can be difficult to distinguish from pyroxenes as they share similar hardness and color. They also have a similar cleavage. However, their chemistry allows for an array of compositions. The different mineral groups in amphibole can be identified by their chemical compositions as well as crystal structures.

The five asbestos types in the amphibole class include amosite, anthophyllite and chrysotile as well as crocidolite and actinolite. Each kind of asbestos has its own distinctive properties. Crocidolite is among the most dangerous asbestos type. It is made up of sharp fibers which are easily breathed into the lung. Anthophyllite comes in a brownish-to yellowish color and is made mostly of iron and magnesium. This variety was once used in products like cement and insulation materials.

Amphibole minerals are difficult to analyze because they have a complex chemical structures and many substitutions. Therefore, a thorough analysis of their composition requires special methods. EDS, WDS and XRD are the most popular methods of identifying amphiboles. These methods are only able to provide approximate identifications. These techniques, for example can't distinguish between magnesio hastingsite and magnesio hastingsite. In addition, these techniques can not distinguish between ferro-hornblende and pargasite.