The Dangers of Exposure to Asbestos

Asbestos was found in thousands of commercial products before it was banned. According to research, asbestos exposure can cause cancer, as well as other health problems.

It is difficult to tell if something is asbestos-containing simply by looking at it and you can't taste or smell it. It is only discovered when the asbestos-containing materials are drilled, chipped or broken.

Chrysotile

At its height, chrysotile was responsible for 99percent of the asbestos produced. It was widely used in industries like construction, insulation, and fireproofing. If workers are exposed to asbestos, they can develop mesothelioma as well as other asbestos-related illnesses. Since the 1960s, when mesothelioma began to become an issue the use of asbestos has been drastically reduced. It is still found in many products we use in the present.

Chrysotile can be used in a safe manner if a thorough safety and handling plan is put into place. It has been found that at the present exposure levels, there isn't an unneeded risk to the people working with the substance. Lung fibrosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma were all linked to breathing airborne respirable fibres. This has been proven in terms of intensity (dose) as well as duration of exposure.

In one study, mortality rates were compared between a manufacturing facility that used a large proportion of chlorosotile to make friction materials and national death rates. The study found that after 40 years of manufacturing low levels of chrysotile, there was no significant rise in mortality rates at this facility.

Chrysotile fibres tend to be shorter than other types of asbestos. They can enter the lungs and enter the bloodstream. They are more likely to cause health problems than fibres that are longer.

It is very difficult for chrysotile fibers to be inhaled or to pose a health risk when mixed with cement. Fibre cement products are extensively used in many parts of the world, including schools and hospitals.

Research has revealed that chrysotile is less prone to cause disease than amphibole asbestos like crocidolite and amosite. Amphibole types like these are the primary cause of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. When cement and chrysotile mix, a durable, flexible product is created that can withstand extreme weather conditions and environmental hazards. It is also easy to clean after use. Asbestos fibres can be easily removed by a professional and eliminated.

Amosite

Asbestos refers to a set of silicate minerals with fibrous structure which are found naturally in a variety of types of rock formations. It is classified into six groups including amphibole (serpentine) and Tremolite (tremolite) anthophyllite (crocidolite) and anthophyllite.

Asbestos minerals are composed of long, thin fibers that vary in length from extremely fine to wide and straight to curled. These fibres can be found in nature as bundles or individual fibrils. Asbestos can also be found in a powder form (talc) or combined with other minerals in order to create talcum powder or vermiculite. These are widely used as consumer goods, such as baby powder cosmetics and facial powder.

The heaviest asbestos use occurred during the first two-thirds of 20th century when it was utilized in insulation, shipbuilding, fireproofing, and other construction materials. The majority of occupational exposures involved asbestos fibres in the air, however some workers were exposed toxic talc or vermiculite as well as to fragments of asbestos-bearing rocks (ATSDR, 2001). Exposures varied from industry to industry, era era, and geographical location.

Most asbestos exposures that workers were exposed to was because of inhalation, but some workers were also exposed via skin contact or through eating contaminated food. Asbestos can be found in the environment due to the natural weathering of mined minerals and the degrading of contaminated materials like insulation, car brakes, clutches, as well as floor and ceiling tiles.

There is evidence to suggest that amphibole fibers that are not commercially available could also be carcinogenic. These are fibers that do not have the tight interwoven fibrils that are found in the amphibole or serpentine minerals but instead are flexible, loose and needle-like. These fibers can be found in the mountains, sandstones and asbestos cliffs of many countries.

Asbestos is absorbed into the environment mostly in the form of airborne particles, however it can also be absorbed into water and soil. This is caused by both natural (weathering of asbestos case-bearing rocks) and anthropogenic causes (disintegration of asbestos-containing wastes and disposal in landfill sites). Asbestos contamination in surface and ground waters is primarily due to natural weathering. However it can also be caused by anthropogeny, such as by the milling and mining of asbestos-containing materials, demolition and dispersal, and the disposal of contaminated dumping material in landfills (ATSDR 2001). The inhalation of asbestos fibres is still the primary cause of illness among people exposed to it occupationally.

Crocidolite

Inhalation exposure is the most common method of exposure to asbestos fibres. These fibres can get into the lung, causing serious health problems. This includes asbestosis and mesothelioma. Exposure to fibers can occur in different ways too, such as contact with contaminated clothing, or building materials. The risks of exposure are more pronounced when crocidolite (the asbestos' blue form, is involved. Crocidolite fibers are smaller and more fragile which makes them more difficult to breathe. They can also get deeper in lung tissue. It has been linked to more mesothelioma-related cases than other types of asbestos.

The six main types are chrysotile, amosite and chrysotile. Chrysotile and amosite are the most frequently used types of asbestos and account for 95% of the asbestos used in commercial construction. The other four have not been as widely utilized however they can be found in older buildings. They are less harmful than chrysotile and amosite, but they could pose a threat when combined with other asbestos minerals or mined close to other naturally occurring mineral deposits, like vermiculite or talc.

Numerous studies have revealed that there is a link between stomach cancer and asbestos exposure. However, the evidence is contradictory. Some researchers have cited a SMR (standardized death ratio) of 1.5 (95 percent confidence interval: 0.7-3.6), for all asbestos workers, while others have reported an SMR of 1,24 (95% confidence interval: 0.76-2.5), for those who work in chrysotile mines and mills.

IARC The IARC, also known as the International Agency for Research on Cancer, has classified all kinds of asbestos as carcinogenic. All asbestos types can cause mesothelioma however the risks differ based on how much exposure is taken, what type of asbestos is involved and the length of time that exposure lasts. The IARC has advised that avoid all forms of asbestos should be the highest priority as it is the safest option for individuals. However, if people have been exposed to asbestos in the past and suffer from an illness, such as mesothelioma, or other respiratory diseases They should seek advice from their doctor or NHS 111.

Amphibole

Amphibole is one of the minerals that form long prisms or needlelike crystals. They are a kind of inosilicate mineral made up of double chains of SiO4 molecules. They usually have a monoclinic crystal structure but some also 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 which are connected in rings of six. The tetrahedrons can be separated by strips of octahedral sites.

Amphiboles are found in both igneous and metamorphic rock. They are usually dark and hard. They can be difficult to differentiate from pyroxenes because they have similar hardness and colors. They also share a corresponding the cleavage. However, their chemistry allows for an array of compositions. The chemical compositions and crystal structure of the various minerals in amphibole can be used to identify them.

Amphibole asbestos includes chrysotile and the five asbestos types amosite anthophyllite (crocidolite) amosite (actinolite), and amosite. While the most frequently used form of asbestos is chrysotile. Each variety has distinct characteristics. The most dangerous type of asbestos, crocidolite is made up of sharp fibers that are simple to breathe into the lung. Anthophyllite is a brownish to yellowish hue and is comprised mostly of iron and magnesium. This kind of stone was used to create cement and insulation materials.

Amphiboles are difficult to analyze due to their complex chemical structure and numerous substitutions. A thorough analysis of composition of amphibole minerals requires special techniques. EDS, WDS and XRD are the most widely used methods of identifying amphiboles. These methods are only able to provide approximate identifications. These techniques, for example can't distinguish between magnesio hastingsite and magnesio hastingsite. These techniques do not distinguish between ferro-hornblende and pargasite.