The Dangers of Exposure to Asbestos
Asbestos was a component in thousands of commercial products prior to when it was banned. According to research, exposure to asbestos can cause cancer, as well as other health issues.
It is impossible to tell just by taking a look at something if it's made of asbestos. You cannot taste or smell 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 many industries, including construction insulation, fireproofing, as well as insulation. If workers are exposed to asbestos, they are likely to develop mesothelioma as well as other asbestos-related illnesses. Since the 1960s, when mesothelioma began to become a problem the use of asbestos has declined significantly. It is still present in many products we use today.
Chrysotile is safe to use in the event that you have a complete safety and handling plan in place. It has been found that, at the present controlled exposure levels, there is no danger to the people handling it. Lung fibrosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma were all linked to breathing in airborne respirable fibres. This has been proven for both intensity (dose) and the duration of exposure.
One study that looked into the operation of a factory that utilized almost all chrysotile as its friction materials compared mortality rates in this factory with national mortality rates. It was found that for 40 years of processing asbestos chrysotile in low levels of exposure there was no significant extra mortality in the factory.
In contrast to other forms of asbestos, chrysotile fibers tend to be smaller. They can pass through the lungs, and enter the bloodstream. This makes them more likely to cause health effects than fibrils with a longer length.
It is extremely difficult for chrysotile fibres to be a threat to the air or pose any health risk when mixed with cement. The fibre cement products are extensively used throughout the world particularly in buildings such as schools and hospitals.
Research has shown that amphibole asbestos like amosite, crocidolite, or crocidolite, is less likely than chrysotile in causing disease. Amphibole types like these are the main cause of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. When chrysotile is mixed in with cement, it forms a tough, flexible building product that can withstand harsh weather conditions and other environmental hazards. It is also simple to clean after use. Professionals can safely dispose of asbestos fibres after they have been removed.
Amosite
Asbestos is a term used to describe a class of fibrous silicate minerals which are found naturally in a variety of types of rock formations. It is classified into six groups including amphibole (serpentine), the tremolite (tremolite), anthophyllite (crocidolite) and anthophyllite.
Asbestos minerals are composed of long, thin fibres that range in length, ranging from very fine to wide and straight to curled. They are found in nature as individual fibrils or bundles that have splaying ends, referred to as 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 as consumer goods, such as baby powder, cosmetics and facial powder.
The greatest use of asbestos occurred in the early two-thirds of the twentieth century in the period when it was employed in insulation, shipbuilding, fireproofing and other construction materials. The majority of occupational exposures were asbestos fibres that were borne in the air, but some workers were exposed contaminated vermiculite or talc as well as to fragments of asbestos-bearing rocks (ATSDR 2001). Exposures varied according to the type of industry, the time period, and geographic location.
Most of the asbestos-related exposures in the workplace were caused by inhalation, however certain workers were exposed via skin contact or by eating food contaminated with asbestos. Asbestos is found in the environment because of natural weathering and degrading of products that are contaminated, such as ceiling and floor tiles cars, brakes and clutches, as well as insulation.
It is becoming increasingly apparent that amphibole fibers that are not commercially available could also be carcinogenic. These are fibers that don't form the tightly knit fibrils of the amphibole and serpentine minerals, but instead are loose, flexible and needle-like. They can be found in the mountains, sandstones, and cliffs of a variety of countries.
Asbestos enters the environment mainly in the form of airborne particles, however it can also leach into soil and water. This can be caused by both natural (weathering of asbestos-bearing rocks) and anthropogenic causes (disintegration of asbestos-containing wastes and disposal in landfill sites). Asbestos contamination of surface and ground water is mostly due to natural weathering. However, it has also been triggered by anthropogenic activities such as mining and milling, demolition and dispersal of asbestos-containing materials as well as the disposal of contaminated dumping ground in landfills (ATSDR, 2001). Inhalation exposure to airborne asbestos fibres is still the primary reason for illness among those exposed to asbestos at work.
Crocidolite
Exposure to asbestos through inhalation is the most popular way people are exposed to dangerous fibres, which can then be inhaled and cause serious health problems. These include mesothelioma and asbestosis. Exposure to asbestos fibers can be experienced in other ways, including contact with contaminated clothing or building materials. The dangers of exposure are heightened when crocidolite, a asbestos that is blue, is involved. Crocidolite is a smaller, more fragile fibers that are more easy to inhale and can lodge deeper into lung tissue. It has been associated with more mesothelioma cases than other asbestos types.
The six major types of asbestos are chrysotile, amosite, epoxiemite, tremolite anthophyllite, and actinolite. The most common forms of asbestos are epoxiemite as well as chrysotile which together make up 95% all commercial asbestos employed. The other four types of asbestos haven't been as popularly used however, they could be found in older buildings. They are less hazardous than amosite or chrysotile however they could still be a danger when mixed with other minerals, or when mined near other naturally occurring mineral deposits such as talc and vermiculite.
Numerous studies have demonstrated that there is a link between stomach cancer and asbestos exposure. However the evidence is not conclusive. Certain researchers have reported an overall SMR (standardized mortality ratio) of 1.5 (95% range of CI: 0.7-3.6) for all asbestos-related workers, while others have reported an SMR of 1.24 (95 percent C.I. 0.76-2.5) for workers in chrysotile mines and mills.
IARC The IARC, which is the International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified all kinds of asbestos as carcinogenic. All asbestos types can cause mesothelioma but the risk is different based on the amount of exposure, the type of asbestos is involved, and how long exposure lasts. The IARC has advised that avoid all forms of asbestos should be the top priority as it is the safest option for those who are exposed. If someone has been exposed to asbestos in the past and suffer from an illness, such as mesothelioma and other respiratory illnesses it is recommended that they seek advice from their physician or NHS 111.
Amphibole
Amphibole is a class of minerals that form long prisms or needle-like crystals. They are a type of inosilicate mineral composed of double chains of SiO4 molecules. They are 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 consist of (Si,Al)O4 Tetrahedrons that are joined in rings of six. Tetrahedrons can be separated by strips of octahedral site.
Amphibole minerals are prevalent in igneous and metamorphic rocks. They are usually dark and hard. Due to their similarity of hardness and colour, they can be difficult for some to distinguish from Pyroxenes. They also have a comparable the cleavage. Their chemistry allows a wide variety of compositions. The chemical compositions and crystal structures of the various mineral groups in amphibole can be used to determine their composition.
salt lake city asbestos law firm includes chrysotile and the five types of asbestos: amosite, anthophyllite (crocidolite), amosite (actinolite), and amosite. While the most popular asbestos type is chrysotile each type has its own unique characteristics. The most hazardous type of asbestos, crocidolite, is composed of sharp fibers that are easy to breathe into the lung. Anthophyllite comes in a brownish-to yellowish hue and is comprised primarily of magnesium and iron. This variety was once used in cement-based products and insulation materials.
Amphiboles are a challenge to analyze because of their complex chemical structure and numerous substitutions. A thorough analysis of composition of amphibole mineral requires specialized methods. EDS, WDS and XRD are the most commonly used methods of identifying amphiboles. These methods can only provide approximate identifications. For instance, these techniques can't distinguish between magnesio hastingsite and magnesio-hornblende. Moreover, these techniques do not distinguish between ferro-hornblende and pargasite.