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The Dangers of Exposure to Asbestos

Before it was banned, asbestos was widely used in commercial products. Research suggests that exposure to asbestos can cause cancer as well as other health issues.

It is impossible to determine if a product has asbestos just simply by looking at it and you can't taste or smell it. It can only be found when the asbestos-containing materials are drilled, chipped or broken.

Chrysotile

At its peak, chrysotile made up for 90% of the asbestos produced. It was utilized in a variety of industries, including construction insulation, fireproofing, and insulation. However, if workers were exposed for long periods to this toxic material, they could develop mesothelioma as well as other asbestos related diseases. Fortunately, the use of this harmful mineral has diminished significantly since awareness of mesothelioma began to increase in the 1960's. It is still found in a variety of products we use today.

Chrysotile is safe to use provided you have a comprehensive safety and handling plan in place. It has been determined that at the present exposure levels, there isn't an danger to the people working with it. Inhaling airborne fibers has been linked with lung cancer and lung fibrosis. This has been confirmed for both intensity (dose) and duration of exposure.

One study that studied the operation of a factory that utilized almost exclusively chrysotile for manufacturing friction materials compared the mortality rates of this factory with national mortality rates. It was found that over the course of 40 years, processing asbestos chrysotile at low levels of exposure There was no significant additional mortality in this factory.

Unlike some other forms of asbestos, chrysotile fibers tend to be smaller. They can penetrate the lungs and enter the bloodstream. This makes them much more prone to cause negative effects than longer fibres.

It is very difficult for chrysotile fibres to be inhaled or to pose a health risk when mixed with cement. Fibre cement products are extensively used all over the world, especially in buildings like 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 forms have been the primary cause of mesothelioma as well as other asbestos-related diseases. When chrysotile gets mixed with cement, it creates a tough, flexible building product that is able to withstand severe conditions in the weather and other environmental hazards. It is also very easy to clean up after use. Asbestos fibers can be easily removed by a professional and then safely disposed of.

Amosite

Asbestos refers to a set of silicate mineral fibrous which are found naturally in a variety of kinds of rock formations. It is composed of six general groups: serpentine, amphibole as well as tremolite, anthophyllite, and crocidolite (IARC, 1973).

Asbestos minerals consist of long, thin fibres that vary in length, ranging from very fine to broad and straight to curled. They are present in nature as individual fibrils, or as bundles with splaying ends called fibril matrix. Asbestos is also found in a powder form (talc), or combined with other minerals to make vermiculite or talcum powder. These are commonly used in consumer products such as baby powder cosmetics, and face powder.

Asbestos was used extensively in the first two thirds of the 20th century for construction of ships insulation, fireproofing and various other construction materials. The majority of asbestos exposures for work occurred in the air, however some workers also were exposed to asbestos-bearing rock fragments and contaminated vermiculite. Exposures varied by industry, time, and geographic location.


The majority of asbestos exposures at work were because of inhalation, but certain workers were exposed by skin contact or through eating contaminated food. Asbestos can only be found in the natural environment due to natural weathering and degrading of contaminated materials like ceiling and floor tiles, car brakes and clutches, as well as insulation.

It is becoming increasingly apparent that non-commercial amphibole fibers can also be carcinogenic. These are fibres that are not the tightly woven fibrils of the amphibole and serpentine minerals, but instead are flexible, loose and needle-like. These fibers are found in the cliffs and mountains of several countries.

Asbestos can be found in the environment in the form of airborne particles, however it can also be absorbed into water and soil. This is a result of both natural (weathering and erosion of asbestos-bearing rocks) and anthropogenic (disintegration and disposal of asbestos-containing wastes in landfill sites) sources. Asbestos contamination of surface and ground waters is primarily caused through natural weathering. However it is also caused anthropogenically, such as through 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 still the primary reason for illness among those exposed to asbestos at work.

Crocidolite

Inhalation exposure is the most commonly used method of exposure to asbestos fibres. These fibres can enter the lungs, causing serious health problems. These include mesothelioma and asbestosis. Exposure to asbestos fibres can be triggered in other ways, such as contact with contaminated clothing or building materials. This kind of exposure is particularly dangerous when crocidolite (the blue asbestos form) is involved. Crocidolite has smaller, more fragile fibers, which are easier to breathe and can be lodged deeper into lung tissue. It has been linked to a greater number of mesothelioma-related cases than any other form of asbestos.

The six major types of asbestos are chrysotile, amosite as well as epoxiemite. Tremolite is anthophyllite and actinolite. The most commonly used forms of asbestos are epoxiemite as well as chrysotile which together make up the majority of commercial asbestos employed. The other four asbestos types are not as prevalent, but could still be found in older structures. They are less hazardous than chrysotile and amosite, but they could be a risk when combined with other asbestos minerals or mined close to other naturally occurring mineral deposits, like vermiculite or talc.

Numerous studies have demonstrated the connection between stomach cancer and asbestos exposure. The evidence is not conclusive. Certain researchers have cited an SMR (standardized death ratio) of 1.5 (95% confidence interval: 0.7-3.6), for all asbestos workers, whereas others have reported an SMR of 1,24 (95 percent confidence interval: 0.76-2.5), for those who work in chrysotile mines or chrysotile 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, although the risks differ based on how much exposure people are exposed to, the type of asbestos involved as well as the length of their exposure and the manner in which it is inhaled or consumed. IARC has stated that the best choice for people is to stay clear of all types of asbestos. However, if a person has been exposed to asbestos in the past and suffer from an illness, such as mesothelioma or any other respiratory diseases it is recommended that they seek advice from their GP or NHS 111.

Amphibole

Amphibole is a group of minerals that form long prisms or needle-like crystals. They are a type of silicate mineral made up of double chains of molecules of SiO4. They typically possess a monoclinic crystal system however some may 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 in rings of six tetrahedrons. Tetrahedrons may be separated by strips of octahedral site.

Amphiboles can be found in metamorphic and igneous rock. They are typically dark-colored and tough. They can be difficult to distinguish from pyroxenes because they have similar hardness and color. They also have a similar cleavage. However their chemistry permits an array of compositions. The chemical compositions and crystal structures of the different mineral groups in amphibole could be used to determine their composition.

Amphibole asbestos consists of chrysotile, and the five types of asbestos amosite anthophyllite (crocidolite) amosite (actinolite), and amosite. Each type of asbestos comes with its own distinct properties. The most dangerous form of asbestos, crocidolite is made up of sharp fibers that are simple to inhale into the lung. Anthophyllite is a brownish to yellowish hue and is made primarily of magnesium and iron. This type was used to make cement and insulation materials.

Amphibole minerals are challenging to analyze due to their an intricate chemical structure and numerous substitutions. Therefore, a thorough analysis of their composition requires specialized methods. EDS, WDS and XRD are the most widely used methods for identifying amphiboles. These methods are only able to provide approximate identifications. These methods, for instance cannot differentiate between magnesio hastingsite and magnesio hastingsite. Additionally, torrance asbestos lawyer do not distinguish between ferro-hornblende as well as pargasite.

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