The Dangers of Exposure to Asbestos

Asbestos was found in thousands of commercial products before it was banned. Research shows that exposure to asbestos can cause cancer and other health issues.

It is difficult to tell if something contains asbestos by looking at it and you won't be able to taste or smell it. Asbestos is only detected when the material containing it is broken, drilled, or chipped.

Chrysotile

At the height of its use, chrysotile made the majority of the asbestos produced. It was used in many industries like construction insulation, fireproofing, and insulation. If workers are exposed to asbestos, they may develop mesothelioma or other asbestos-related illnesses. Since the 1960s, when mesothelioma was first becoming a major concern, the use of asbestos has been drastically reduced. However, trace amounts can still be found in the products we use today.

Chrysotile is safe to use in the event that you have a complete safety and handling plan in place. It has been discovered that at the present exposure levels, there is no unneeded risk to the people working with the substance. Lung cancer, lung fibrosis and mesothelioma were all connected to breathing in airborne respirable fibres. This has been proven for both the intensity (dose) and the duration of exposure.

One study that studied a facility that used nearly exclusively chrysotile to manufacture friction materials, compared mortality rates in this facility with national death rates. It was concluded that over the course of 40 years, processing asbestos chrysotile at low levels of exposure there was no significant excess mortality in this factory.

Chrysotile fibres are typically shorter than other forms of asbestos. They are able to penetrate the lungs, asbestos and then pass through the bloodstream. They are therefore more likely to cause health issues than fibres that are longer.

When chrysotile mixes with cement, it is very difficult for the fibres to be airborne and pose health risks. Fibre cement products are extensively used in various parts of the world including hospitals and schools.

Studies have shown that chrysotile has a lower chance to cause disease than amphibole asbestos, such as amosite and crocidolite. These amphibole types have been the most common cause of mesothelioma and various asbestos-related diseases. When chrysotile and cement are mixed with cement, a tough, flexible product is created that is able to stand up to extreme weather conditions and environmental hazards. It is also easy to clean up after use. Professionals can safely dispose of asbestos fibres after they have been removed.

Amosite

Asbestos refers to a group of fibrous silicate minerals that occur naturally in certain kinds of rock formations. It is divided into six groups including amphibole (serpentine) and Tremolite (tremolite), anthophyllite (crocidolite) and anthophyllite.

Asbestos minerals are made up of long, thin fibers that range in length from extremely fine to broad and straight to curled. They are found in nature in bundles or as individual fibrils. Asbestos is also found in a powder form (talc), or mixed with other minerals to form talcum powder or vermiculite. These are commonly used in consumer products including baby powder, cosmetics, and face powder.

Asbestos was widely used during the first two thirds of the 20th century for shipbuilding insulation, fireproofing and other construction materials. The majority of occupational exposures were asbestos fibres borne by air, but certain workers were exposed to toxic talc or vermiculite and also to fragments of asbestos-bearing rock (ATSDR, 2001). Exposures varied from industry to industry, era to and also from geographical location.

Exposure to asbestos in the workplace is mostly due to inhalation. However certain workers have been exposed through contact with skin or eating contaminated foods. Asbestos can be found in the air due to natural weathering of mined ores and the deterioration of products contaminated with asbestos such as insulation, car brakes and clutches and ceiling and floor tiles.

There is growing evidence that non-commercial amphibole fibres may also be carcinogenic. These are the fibres that don't form the tightly interwoven fibrils that are found in the amphibole and serpentine minerals, but instead are loose, flexible and needle-like. These fibres are found in the mountains and cliffs of several countries.

Asbestos gets into the environment primarily as airborne particles, but it can also leach into water and soil. This happens both through natural (weathering and erosion of asbestos-bearing rocks) and human-caused (disintegration and disposal of asbestos-containing materials in landfill sites) sources. Asbestos contamination of ground and surface water is largely associated with natural weathering, but has also been caused by anthropogenic activities like milling and mining demolition and dispersal asbestos-containing materials as well as the disposal of contaminated dumping ground in landfills (ATSDR 2001). Inhalation exposure to airborne asbestos fibers is the primary cause of illness for people who are exposed to asbestos on a daily basis.

Crocidolite

Inhalation exposure to asbestos is the most popular way people are exposed to the harmful fibres, which could then be inhaled and cause serious health problems. Mesothelioma and asbestosis as well as other diseases can be caused by asbestos fibres. Exposure to fibers can occur in other ways, too like contact with contaminated clothing or construction materials. The risks of exposure are more pronounced when crocidolite, the asbestos' blue form is involved. Crocidolite fibers are thinner and more fragile making them more palatable to breathe. They can also lodge deeper within lung tissue. It has been linked to a higher number of mesothelioma-related cancers than any other form of asbestos.

The six major types of asbestos are chrysotile, amosite, epoxiemite, tremolite anthophyllite, and actinolite. The most popular forms of asbestos are epoxiemite and chrysotile, which together make up 95% all commercial asbestos used. The other four types of asbestos legal haven't been as extensively used however, they could be present in older buildings. They are not as dangerous as chrysotile or amosite but can still be dangerous when mixed with other minerals, or when mined near other naturally occurring mineral deposits such as talc and vermiculite.

Numerous studies have revealed an association between stomach cancer and asbestos exposure. The evidence isn't unanimous. Some researchers have reported an SMR (standardized mortality ratio) of 1.5 (95% CI: 0.7-3.6) for all asbestos-related workers while other studies have reported an SMR of 1.24 (95% 95% CI: 0.76-2.5) for those working in chrysotile mines and mills.

IARC the International Agency for Research on Cancer, has classified all kinds of asbestos carcinogenic. All asbestos types can cause mesothelioma, however the risks differ based on how much exposure, what type of asbestos is involved, and how long exposure lasts. The IARC has advised that avoiding all forms of asbestos should be the top priority since this is the best option for those who are exposed. However, if a person has been exposed to asbestos in the past and are suffering from an illness such as mesothelioma and other respiratory diseases and require advice, they should seek out guidance from their physician or NHS 111.

Amphibole

Amphiboles are groups of minerals which can form needle-like or prism-like crystals. They are a type of inosilicate mineral made up of double chains of molecules of SiO4. They usually possess a monoclinic crystal system however some may have an orthorhombic structure. The general formula of an amphibole is A0-1B2C5T8O22(OH,F)2. The double chains are composed of (Si, Al)O4 tetrahedrons linked together in a series of six tetrahedrons. The tetrahedrons can be separated from one another by octahedral sites that are surrounded by strips.

Amphibole minerals are found in igneous and metamorphic rocks. They are typically dark-colored and are hard. Due to their similarity of hardness and color, they may be difficult for some people to distinguish from the pyroxenes. They also have a similar cleavage. However, their chemistry allows for an array of compositions. The different amphibole mineral groups are identified by their chemical compositions as well as crystal structures.

Amphibole asbestos includes chrysotile and the five types of asbestos: amosite, anthophyllite (crocidolite), amosite (actinolite) and amosite. Each type of asbestos comes with its own unique properties. The most harmful type of asbestos, crocidolite is made up of sharp fibers that are easy to breathe into the lung. Anthophyllite can be found in a brownish or yellowish color and is composed mostly of iron and magnesium. This kind of stone was used to create cement and insulation materials.

Amphiboles are a challenge to analyze due to their complicated chemical structure and numerous substitutions. A thorough analysis of the composition of amphibole minerals requires special techniques. EDS, WDS and XRD are the most popular methods for identifying amphiboles. These methods are only able to provide approximate identifications. For example, these techniques cannot differentiate between magnesio-hastingsite and magnesio-hornblende. These techniques also do not distinguish between ferro-hornblende as well as pargasite.