The Dangers of Exposure to Asbestos

Before it was banned asbestos was used in thousands commercial products. According to research, exposure to asbestos can cause cancer and many other health problems.

It is impossible to determine if a product has asbestos just by looking at it and you won't be able to smell or taste it. Asbestos can only be detected when the material containing it is broken or drilled.

Chrysotile

At the height of its use, chrysotile made the majority of asbestos production. It was employed in a variety of industries like construction insulation, fireproofing, and insulation. If workers were exposed to this toxic material, they could develop mesothelioma as well as other asbestos related diseases. Fortunately, the use of this toxic mineral has decreased significantly since awareness of mesothelioma began to increase in the 1960's. However, trace amounts of it can still be found in many of the products we use today.

Chrysotile is safe to use in the event that a thorough safety and handling plan is put into place. Workers handling chrysotile are not exposed to a significant amount of risk at current limit of exposure. The inhalation of airborne fibres is strongly linked to lung fibrosis and lung cancer. This has been proven in terms of intensity (dose) as well as the duration of exposure.

One study that studied a factory that used almost exclusively chrysotile in the production of friction materials, compared mortality rates at this factory with national death rates. The study concluded that, after 40 years of processing at low levels of chrysotile there was no significant increase in mortality in this factory.

As opposed to other forms of asbestos, chrysotile fibers tend to be smaller. They can pass through the lungs and then enter the bloodstream. This makes them more prone to cause negative consequences than longer fibres.

When chrysotile is mixed with cement, it's very difficult for the fibres to be airborne and cause health hazards. Fibre cement products have been used extensively throughout the world particularly in structures like hospitals and schools.

Research has revealed that chrysotile is less likely to cause disease than amphibole asbestos, like amosite and crocidolite. These amphibole varieties are the main cause of mesothelioma, and other asbestos claim-related diseases. When chrysotile is mixed in with cement, it creates a strong, flexible building product that is able to withstand severe conditions in the weather and other environmental hazards. It is also simple to clean after use. Asbestos fibres can easily be removed by a professional and safely eliminated.

Amosite

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

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

Asbestos was used extensively in the first two thirds of the 20th century for construction of ships as well as insulation, fireproofing and various other construction materials. The majority of asbestos-containing exposures to the workplace occurred in the air, but some workers were also exposed to asbestos-bearing rocks and vermiculite that was contaminated. Exposures varied from industry to industry, era to era and also from geographical location.

Exposure to asbestos at work is mostly due to inhalation. However there are workers who have been exposed through contact with skin or by eating food items contaminated with asbestos. Asbestos can be found in the the natural weathering of mined minerals and the degrading of contaminated materials like insulation, car brakes, clutches as well as ceiling and floor tiles.

There is evidence emerging that amphibole fibers that are not commercially available could also be carcinogenic. These are fibers that don't form the tightly interwoven fibrils that are found in the amphibole and serpentine minerals, but instead are flexible, loose and needle-like. These fibres can be found in the mountains, sandstones and cliffs from a variety of nations.

Asbestos is able to enter the environment in a variety ways, including in the form of airborne particles. It is also able to leach into soil or water. This happens both through natural (weathering and erosion of asbestos-bearing rocks) and Asbestos ananthropogenic (disintegration and disposal of asbestos-containing wastes in landfill sites) sources. Asbestos contamination in surface and ground waters is primarily caused by natural weathering. However, it has also been caused by humans, such as through the mining and milling of asbestos-containing materials, demolition and dispersal, and the removal of contaminated dumping material in landfills (ATSDR 2001). Exposure to asbestos-containing airborne fibres is the most common cause of illness in people exposed to asbestos in the workplace.

Crocidolite

Inhalation exposure is the most popular method of exposure to asbestos fibres. These fibres can get into the lungs and cause serious health problems. These include asbestosis and mesothelioma. Exposure to asbestos fibres can occur in different ways too including contact with contaminated clothing or materials. The risks of exposure are higher when crocidolite (the asbestos that is blue, is involved. Crocidolite has smaller, more fragile fibers that are easier to breathe and can be lodged deeper in lung tissue. It has been associated with more mesothelioma cases than other types of asbestos.

The six major types of asbestos are chrysotile, amosite, epoxiemite, tremolite, anthophyllite, and actinolite. Amosite and chrysotile are the most commonly used forms of asbestos. They comprise 95 percent of all asbestos used in commercial construction. The other four asbestos types are not as prevalent, but could still be found in older structures. They are less hazardous than amosite or chrysotile, but they can still be a danger when mixed with other minerals or when mined near other naturally occurring mineral deposits like talc and vermiculite.

A number of studies have demonstrated an association between asbestos exposure and stomach cancer. The evidence isn't unanimous. Some researchers have cited a SMR (standardized death ratio) of 1.5 (95% confidence interval: 0.7-3.6), for all asbestos workers, and others have reported an SMR of 1,24 (95 percent confidence interval: 0.76-2.5), for those who work in chrysotile mines and mills.

IARC The IARC, which is the International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified all kinds of asbestos carcinogenic. All types of asbestos can cause mesothelioma and other health issues, however the risks vary according to the amount of exposure individuals are exposed to, the kind of asbestos used and the duration of their exposure and the manner in the way that it is breathed in or consumed. IARC has stated that the best choice for individuals is to avoid all forms of asbestos. However, if people have been exposed to asbestos in the past and are suffering from a disease such as mesothelioma or other respiratory diseases and require advice, they should seek out guidance from their doctor or NHS 111.

Amphibole

Amphibole is a group of minerals that form long prisms or needle-like crystals. They are an inosilicate mineral made up of double chains of SiO4 molecules. They have a monoclinic arrangement of crystals, but certain crystals have an orthorhombic form. The general formula of an amphibole is A0-1B2C5T8O22(OH,F)2. Double chains contain (Si, Al)O4 tetrahedrons linked together in a ring of six tetrahedrons. The tetrahedrons are separated by octahedral strips.

Amphibole minerals are found in igneous and metamorphic rocks. They are usually dark and hard. Due to their similarity in strength and color, they can be difficult for some people to differentiate from pyroxenes. They also share a corresponding cleavage. Their chemistry can allow for a range of compositions. The chemical compositions and crystal structure of the different minerals in amphibole can be used to determine their composition.

Amphibole asbestos includes chrysotile and the five asbestos types: amosite anthophyllite (crocidolite), amosite (actinolite) and amosite. Each kind of asbestos has its own unique properties. Crocidolite is considered to be the most hazardous asbestos type. It is composed of sharp fibers that can easily be inhaled into the lungs. Anthophyllite ranges from brown to yellowish in color and is composed of magnesium and iron. The variety was used previously in cement-based products and insulation materials.

Amphiboles are difficult to analyse because of their complex chemical structure and the numerous substitutions. Therefore, a detailed analysis of their composition requires specialized methods. The most common methods for identifying amphiboles are EDS, WDS, and XRD. These methods can only provide approximate identifications. For instance, they are unable to distinguish between magnesio-hastingsite from magnesio-hornblende. These techniques do not distinguish between ferro-hornblende and pargasite.