The Dangers of Exposure to Asbestos

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

It is impossible to tell just by looking at something if it is made of asbestos. Also, you cannot taste or smell it. Asbestos can only be identified when the material containing it is broken or drilled.

Chrysotile

At its height, chrysotile comprised up 99% of the asbestos produced. It was widely used in industries including construction insulation, fireproofing, and insulation. Unfortunately, if workers were exposed to this harmful substance, they could develop mesothelioma, as well as other asbestos-related diseases. Thankfully, the use of this harmful mineral has diminished dramatically since mesothelioma awareness began to grow in the 1960's. However, traces of it are still present in many of the products we use today.

Chrysotile is safe to use if you have a comprehensive safety and handling plan in place. It has been determined that, at today's controlled exposure levels, there isn't an danger to those working with the substance. Lung fibrosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma have been strongly linked to breathing airborne respirable fibres. This has been proven for both the intensity (dose) and time of exposure.

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

Chrysotile fibres tend to be shorter than other types of asbestos. They are able to penetrate the lungs and pass into the bloodstream. This makes them much more prone to cause negative effects than fibrils with a longer length.

It is very difficult for chrysotile fibres to be in the air or pose a health risk when mixed with cement. Fibre cement products are utilized in many areas of the world, including schools and hospitals.

Research has proven that chrysotile has a lower chance to cause illness than amphibole asbestos like amosite and crocidolite. These amphibole types are the primary cause of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. When chrysotile is mixed in with cement, it creates a strong, flexible building product that can withstand the most extreme conditions in the weather and other environmental dangers. It is also easy to clean up after use. Asbestos fibers can be easily removed by a professional and safely removed.

Amosite

Asbestos is a category of silicate minerals with fibrous structure which are found naturally in a variety of kinds of rock formations. It is classified into six groups: amphibole (serpentine), Tremolite (tremolite) anthophyllite (crocidolite) and anthophyllite.

Asbestos minerals are made up of thin, long fibres that vary in length, ranging from very thin to broad and straight to curled. These fibres are found in nature as individual fibrils or as bundles with splaying edges called fibril matrix. Asbestos minerals can also be found as a powder (talc) or mixed with other minerals and sold as talcum powder and vermiculite that are widely used in consumer products such as baby powder cosmetics, face powder, and baby powder.

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

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

It is becoming increasingly apparent that non-commercial amphibole fibers can also be carcinogenic. These fibers aren't knit like the fibrils found in amphibole or serpentine, but are instead loose and flexible, and needle-like. These fibers can be found in the mountains and cliffs from a variety of countries.

Asbestos enters the environment mainly as airborne particles, but it also leaches into soil and water. This happens both through natural (weathering and erosion of asbestos-bearing rocks) and ananthropogenic (disintegration and removal of asbestos-containing wastes from landfill sites) sources. Asbestos contamination in surface and ground waters is primarily caused through natural weathering. However it is also 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 most significant cause of illness among people exposed to it in their occupation.

Crocidolite

Inhalation exposure to asbestos is the most common way people are exposed to harmful fibres. They can be absorbed into the lungs and cause serious health issues. This includes asbestosis and mesothelioma. Exposure to fibres can occur in a variety of ways like contact with contaminated clothing, or building materials. The dangers of this kind of exposure are heightened when crocidolite which is the asbestos that is blue, is involved. Crocidolite has smaller, more fragile fibers that are more easy to breathe in and can get deeper into lung tissue. It has been associated with a higher number of mesothelioma-related cancers than any other form of asbestos.

The main types are chrysotile and amosite. Chrysotile and amosite are among the most frequently used types of asbestos. They comprise 95 percent of all asbestos used in commercial construction. The other four types of asbestos haven't been as extensively used but they can be found in older buildings. They aren't as hazardous as amosite or chrysotile, but they can still be a risk when mixed with other minerals or when mined close to other mineral deposits like vermiculite and talc.

A number of studies have demonstrated an association between asbestos exposure and stomach cancer. Numerous studies have shown a link between asbestos exposure and stomach. However there is no conclusive evidence. Some researchers have cited an overall SMR (standardized mortality ratio) of 1.5 (95% 95% confidence interval: 0.7-3.6) for all workers exposed to asbestos while other studies have reported an SMR of 1.24 (95% of the CI = 0.76-2.5) for workers in chrysotile mines and mills.

IARC, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, has classified all forms of asbestos carcinogenic. All asbestos types can cause mesothelioma but the risk is different based on how much exposure, the type of asbestos attorney; www.Snye.co.kr, is involved, and how long exposure lasts. The IARC has recommended that abstaining from all asbestos litigation forms should be the highest priority as it is the most secure option for those who are exposed. However, if people have been exposed to asbestos in the past and suffer from an illness, such as mesothelioma or other respiratory illnesses it is recommended that they seek advice from their physician or NHS 111.

Amphibole

Amphibole belongs to a group of minerals that form long prisms or needlelike crystals. They are a kind of inosilicate mineral made up of two chains of molecules of SiO4. They have a monoclinic system of crystals, however some have an orthorhombic shape. The general formula of an amphibole is A0-1B2C5T8O22(OH,F)2. The double chains are composed of (Si, Al)O4 tetrahedrons linked together in a ring of six tetrahedrons. Tetrahedrons may be separated by octahedral strips.

Amphiboles are present in metamorphic and igneous rock. They are typically dark and hard. Due to their similarity in hardness and color, they may be difficult for some people to distinguish from the pyroxenes. They also share a similar pattern of cleavage. However, their chemistry allows for an array of compositions. The different mineral groups in amphibole can be identified by their chemical compositions and crystal structures.

Amphibole asbestos consists of chrysotile, and the five types of asbestos amosite anthophyllite (crocidolite) amosite (actinolite) and amosite. Each kind of asbestos has its own distinctive properties. The most hazardous type of asbestos, crocidolite is composed of sharp fibers that are simple to inhale into the lungs. Anthophyllite can range from yellow to brown in color and is made up of iron and magnesium. This kind of stone was used to create cement and insulation materials.

Amphiboles are difficult to analyse due to their complicated chemical structure and numerous substitutions. Therefore, a thorough analysis of their composition requires special techniques. EDS, WDS and XRD are the most commonly used methods of identifying amphiboles. These methods are only able to provide approximate identifications. These methods, for instance cannot differentiate between magnesio hornblende and hastingsite. These techniques also don't differentiate between ferro-hornblende or pargasite.