The Dangers of Exposure to Asbestos

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

It is difficult to tell by looking at something if it is made up of asbestos. You cannot smell or taste it. Asbestos is only detected when the substances that contain it are broken, drilled, or chipped.

Chrysotile

At its peak, chrysotile accounted for 99percent of the asbestos created. It was used in many industries including construction insulation, fireproofing, and insulation. If workers are exposed to asbestos, they are likely to develop mesothelioma along with other asbestos-related illnesses. Thankfully, the use of this toxic mineral has decreased dramatically since mesothelioma awareness began to spread in the 1960's. However, trace amounts of it can still be found in products that 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 isn't an unneeded risk to the people working with it. The inhalation of airborne particles has been linked with lung fibrosis and lung cancer. This has been confirmed for intensity (dose) as well as the duration of exposure.

One study that looked into the operation of a factory that utilized almost exclusively chrysotile in the production of friction materials, compared mortality rates at this factory with national mortality rates. The study revealed that after 40 years of processing at low levels of chrysotile, there was no significant rise in mortality rates at this facility.

Chrysotile fibres tend to be shorter than other forms of asbestos. They can pass through the lungs, and then pass through the bloodstream. This makes them much more likely to cause health effects than fibres with longer lengths.

When chrysotile mixes with cement, it's very difficult for the fibres to become airborne and pose any health risks. Fibre cement products are extensively used throughout the world, especially in buildings such as schools and hospitals.

Research has shown that chrysotile has a lower chance to cause illness than amphibole asbestos like amosite and crocidolite. Amphibole asbestos forms have been the primary cause of mesothelioma and other Decatur asbestos attorney-related diseases. When chrysotile is mixed in with cement, it forms a tough, flexible building product that can withstand extreme weather conditions and other environmental dangers. It is also simple to clean after use. Professionals can safely get rid of asbestos fibres after they have been removed.

Amosite

Asbestos refers to a set of silicate mineral fibrous that occur naturally in certain types of rock formations. It is composed of six general groups: serpentine, amphibole as well as tremolite, anthophyllite, Decatur Asbestos Attorney and crocidolite (IARC, 1973).

Asbestos minerals are composed of thin, long fibers that range in length, ranging from very thin to broad and straight to curled. These fibers are found in nature in the form of individual fibrils or bundles with splaying ends referred to as a fibril matrix. Asbestos minerals can also be found in the form of a powder (talc) or mixed with other minerals and sold as talcum powder and vermiculite and are used in consumer products like baby powder cosmetics, face powder, and baby powder.

The largest use of asbestos was in the first two-thirds period of the twentieth century where it was used in insulation, shipbuilding, fireproofing and other construction materials. The majority of occupational exposures involved asbestos fibres that were borne in the air, but certain workers were exposed to toxic talc or vermiculite and to pieces of asbestos-bearing rocks (ATSDR, 2001). Exposures varied by the industry, time frame, and geographic location.

Most of the asbestos exposures that workers were exposed to was due to 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 minerals and the deterioration of products contaminated with asbestos such as insulation, car brakes and clutches as well as ceiling and floor tiles.

It is becoming increasingly apparent that amphibole fibers that are not commercially available could also be carcinogenic. These are fibres that do not form the tightly interwoven fibrils that are found in the amphibole or serpentine minerals but instead are loose, flexible and needle-like. These fibres can be found in the mountains, sandstones and cliffs in a variety of countries.

Asbestos can be absorbed into the environment in a variety ways, such as in airborne particles. It can also be absorbed into soil or water. This can be due to both natural (weathering of bellflower asbestos lawsuit-bearing rock) as well as anthropogenic sources (disintegration of asbestos-containing wastes and disposal in landfill sites). Asbestos contamination in surface and ground waters is primarily caused through natural weathering. However, it has also been caused by humans, such as through mining and milling of asbestos-containing materials, demolition and dispersal, and the disposal of contaminated dumping materials in landfills (ATSDR 2001). Asbestos fibres that are emitted from the air are the primary cause of illness among people who are exposed to it during their work.

Crocidolite

Inhalation exposure is the most common method of exposure to asbestos fibres. These fibres can get into the lungs, causing serious health problems. Mesothelioma, asbestosis, and other diseases are caused by asbestos fibres. Exposure to asbestos fibres can be triggered in other ways, like contact with contaminated clothing or building materials. The dangers of this kind of exposure are greater when crocidolite, the asbestos in the blue form is involved. Crocidolite is smaller and more fragile fibers that are more easy to breathe in and can get deeper in lung tissue. It has been associated with more mesothelioma cancer cases than other asbestos types.

The six main types of asbestos are chrysotile, amosite and tremolite. They are epoxiemite, tremol anthophyllite and actinolite. The most commonly used forms of asbestos are epoxiemite and chrysotile which together comprise 95% all commercial asbestos used. The other four forms haven't been as popularly used, but they may still be found in older buildings. They are less dangerous than amosite or chrysotile however they could still be a risk when mixed with other minerals, or when mined near other naturally occurring mineral deposits like talc and vermiculite.

Several studies have found an association between exposure to asbestos and stomach cancer. However the evidence isn't conclusive. Some researchers have cited an SMR (standardized mortality ratio) of 1.5 (95% 95% confidence interval: 0.7-3.6) for all workers exposed to cerritos asbestos attorney and others have reported an SMR of 1.24 (95 percent CI: 0.76-2.5) for workers working in chrysotile mining and mills.

IARC, the International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified all types of asbestos as carcinogenic. All kinds of asbestos can cause mesothelioma as well as other health issues, although the risks differ based on the amount of exposure that individuals are exposed to, the type of asbestos involved and the duration of their exposure, and the manner in which it is inhaled or consumed. The IARC has recommended that abstaining from all asbestos forms is the best option because this is the most secure option for individuals. However, if people have been exposed to asbestos in the past and are suffering from a condition such as mesothelioma and other respiratory diseases, they should seek guidance from their physician or NHS 111.

Amphibole

Amphiboles are a grouping of minerals that may form prism-like or needle-like crystals. They are a type inosilicate mineral made up of two chains of molecules of SiO4. They usually have a monoclinic structure in their crystals, although some have an orthorhombic structure. The general formula of an amphibole is A0-1B2C5T8O22(OH,F)2. Double chains contain (Si, Al)O4 tetrahedrons linked together by tetrahedron rings made of six. Tetrahedrons are distinguished from one another by octahedral sites that are surrounded by strips.

Amphibole minerals are common in metamorphic and igneous rocks. They are typically dark and hard. They can be difficult to distinguish from pyroxenes since they share similar hardness and color. They also have a similar the cleavage. However their chemistry permits the use of a variety 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, crocidolite, and actinolite. The most widely used asbestos type is chrysotile each type has its own unique characteristics. The most hazardous type of asbestos, crocidolite, is made up of sharp fibers that are easy to inhale into the lungs. Anthophyllite is a brownish to yellowish color and is made primarily of magnesium and iron. This variety was once used in cement and insulation materials.

Amphiboles are difficult to analyze because of their complex chemical structure and numerous substitutions. Therefore, a detailed analysis of their composition requires special techniques. EDS, WDS and XRD are the most popular methods for identifying amphiboles. These methods can only provide approximate identifications. These techniques, for instance, cannot distinguish between magnesio hornblende and hastingsite. Furthermore, these techniques do not distinguish between ferro hornblende and pargasite.