The Dangers of Exposure to Asbestos

Asbestos was a component in thousands of commercial products before it was banned. According to studies, exposure to asbestos can cause cancer and a host of other health problems.

You cannot tell by just looking at a thing if it contains asbestos. Neither can you smell or taste it. It is only visible when materials containing asbestos are chipped, drilled or broken.

Chrysotile

At its peak, chrysotile made up for 95% of the asbestos made. It was used by many industries including construction insulation, fireproofing, as well as insulation. However, if workers were exposed to the toxic material, they could develop mesothelioma as well as other asbestos related diseases. Since the 1960s, when mesothelioma first became a major concern, the use of asbestos has been reduced significantly. However, trace amounts remain in many of the products we use in the present.

Chrysotile can be used safely in the event that a thorough safety and handling plan is in place. Workers handling chrysotile are not exposed to an undue amount of risk at current controlled exposure levels. Inhaling airborne fibers has been found to be strongly linked with lung fibrosis and lung cancer. This has been proven for intensity (dose) as and the duration of exposure.

In one study, mortality rates were compared between a factory that used a large proportion of Chrysotile in the production of friction materials and national death rates. It was concluded that over the course of 40 years, processing chrysotile asbestos at low levels of exposure there was no significant increase in mortality in this particular factory.

Chrysotile fibers are generally shorter than other types of asbestos. They can enter the lungs, and enter the bloodstream. This makes them much more prone to cause negative effects than longer fibres.

When chrysotile gets mixed with cement, it's very difficult for the fibres to become airborne and pose any health risk. Fibre cement products are widely used in many parts of the world including hospitals and schools.

Research has shown that amphibole asbestos, like amosite or crocidolite is not as likely to cause diseases. These amphibole types have been the primary cause of mesothelioma as well as other asbestos-related illnesses. When chrysotile is mixed in with cement, it forms a strong, 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. Professionals can safely remove asbestos fibres once they have been removed.

Amosite

Asbestos is one of the groups of fibrous silicates that are found in various types of rock formations. It consists of six general groups: serpentine, amphibole anthophyllite, tremolite and crocidolite (IARC 1973).

Asbestos minerals are composed of thin, long fibers that range in length from very fine to broad and straight to curled. They can be found in nature as bundles or individual fibrils. Asbestos can also be found in a powder form (talc) or mixed with other minerals to create talcum powder or vermiculite. These are widely used as consumer goods, including baby powder, cosmetics, and face powder.

The greatest use of asbestos was in the first two-thirds period of the 20th century where it was used in shipbuilding, insulation, fireproofing, and other construction materials. The majority of occupational exposures were asbestos fibres in the air, however some workers were exposed toxic talc or vermiculite and also to fragments of asbestos-bearing rock (ATSDR 2001). Exposures varied by the type of industry, the time period and geographic location.

Most occupational exposures to asbestos were due to inhalation, but certain workers were exposed through skin contact or through eating contaminated food. Asbestos is only found in the environment because of natural weathering and the degradation of contaminated products, such as ceiling and floor tiles cars, brakes and clutches, as well as insulation.

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

Asbestos can be found in the environment in the form of airborne particles, however it also leaches into water and soil. This happens both through natural (weathering and erosion of asbestos-bearing rocks) and the anthropogenic (disintegration and removal of asbestos-containing wastes from landfill sites) sources. provo asbestos law firm contamination in surface and ground waters is primarily caused through natural weathering. However it can also be caused by anthropogeny, such as through milling and mining 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 main cause of disease among those exposed to asbestos in their occupation.

Crocidolite

Inhalation exposure to asbestos is the most frequent way people are exposed to dangerous fibres, which can then be inhaled and cause serious health issues. Mesothelioma and asbestosis as well as other illnesses are caused by asbestos fibres. Exposure to asbestos fibres can be experienced in other ways, including contact with contaminated clothing or building materials. The dangers of exposure are more pronounced when crocidolite, a blue form of asbestos, is involved. Crocidolite has smaller, more fragile fibers, which are easier to breathe in and may lodge deeper into lung tissue. It has been linked to more mesothelioma-related cases than other asbestos types.

The six main types of asbestos are chrysotile amosite and tremolite. They are epoxiemite, tremol anthophyllite, and library.kemu.ac.ke actinolite. Amosite and chrysotile are the most commonly used types of asbestos and make up 95% of the commercial asbestos that is used. The other four types of asbestos haven't been as widely utilized however they can be found in older buildings. They aren't as hazardous as amosite or chrysotile but still be dangerous when mixed with other minerals, or when mined close to other mineral deposits such as vermiculite and talc.

Many studies have discovered an association between exposure to asbestos and stomach cancer. Several studies have found a link between asbestos exposure and stomach. However there is no conclusive evidence. Some researchers have cited a SMR (standardized death ratio) of 1.5 (95 percent 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 workers in chrysotile mines or chrysotile mills.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified all forms of asbestos as carcinogenic. All types of asbestos can cause mesothelioma and other health issues, although the risks are different based on the amount of exposure people are exposed to, the kind of asbestos involved, the duration of their exposure, and the manner in the way it is inhaled or ingested. IARC has declared that the best choice for individuals is to stay clear of all forms of asbestos. If you have been exposed in the past to asbestos and suffer from a respiratory illness or mesothelioma, then you should seek advice from your physician or NHS111.

Amphibole

Amphiboles comprise a variety of minerals which can form prism-like and needle-like crystals. They are a type of silicate mineral made up of double chains of molecules of SiO4. They are a monoclinic system of crystals, but some have an orthorhombic shape. The general formula of an amphibole is A0-1B2C5T8O22(OH,F)2. The double chains are made up of (Si,Al)O4 Tetrahedrons that are joined in rings of six. Tetrahedrons can be separated by strips of octahedral site.

Amphiboles occur in metamorphic and igneous rock. They are usually dark and hard. Due to their similarity in strength and color, they could be difficult for some people to distinguish from Pyroxenes. They also have a comparable cleavage. Their chemistry allows a wide range of compositions. The various mineral groups in amphibole can be identified by their chemical compositions as well as crystal structures.

Amphibole asbestos consists of chrysotile, and the five types of asbestos amosite anthophyllite (crocidolite) amosite (actinolite), Vimeo.Com and amosite. While the most commonly used form of asbestos is chrysotile each type has its own unique characteristics. The most hazardous type of asbestos, crocidolite, is made up of sharp fibers that are simple to inhale into the lungs. Anthophyllite is a brownish to yellowish color and is composed primarily of magnesium and iron. This type was used to make cement and insulation materials.

Amphibole minerals are challenging to analyze because they have an intricate chemical structure and a variety of substitutions. An in-depth analysis of the composition of amphibole minerals is a complex process that requires specialized methods. EDS, WDS and XRD are the most commonly used methods for identifying amphiboles. These methods are only able to provide approximate identifications. These methods, for instance can't distinguish between magnesio hornblende and magnesio hastingsite. These techniques also don't differentiate between ferro-hornblende or pargasite.