The Dangers of Exposure to Asbestos
Asbestos was found in thousands of commercial products before it was banned. Research suggests that exposure to asbestos can cause cancer as well as other health issues.
It is difficult to tell if something includes asbestos by looking at it and you are unable to taste or smell it. It is only found in the event that asbestos-containing products are chipped, drilled or broken.
Chrysotile
At its height, chrysotile was responsible for 95% of the asbestos made. It was employed in many industries including construction insulation, fireproofing and insulation. If workers are exposed to asbestos, they may develop mesothelioma as well as other asbestos-related diseases. Fortunately, the use this harmful mineral has diminished drastically since mesothelioma awareness started to increase in the 1960's. It is still found in many of the products we use in the present.
Chrysotile is safe to use provided you have a comprehensive safety and handling plan in place. It has been proven that, at today's controlled exposure levels, there is no danger to the people handling the substance. The inhalation of airborne particles is strongly linked to lung cancer and lung fibrosis. This has been proven in terms of intensity (dose) as well as the duration of exposure.
A study that looked at a factory that used almost exclusively chrysotile for manufacturing friction materials, compared mortality rates in this facility with national death rates. It was found that, for 40 years of preparing asbestos chrysotile in low levels of exposure, there was no significant excess mortality in this factory.
As opposed to other forms of asbestos, chrysotile fibers tend to be smaller. They can pass through the lungs, and enter the bloodstream. This makes them much more prone to causing health effects than fibres with longer lengths.
It is extremely difficult for chrysotile fibers to be airborne or pose any health risk when mixed with cement. Fibre cement products have been used extensively throughout the world particularly in structures like hospitals and schools.
Studies have shown that chrysotile's risk is lower to cause disease than amphibole asbestos such as amosite and crocidolite. These amphibole varieties are the main cause of mesothelioma, and other asbestos-related diseases. When the cement and chrysotile are combined, a durable and flexible product is created that is able to withstand extreme weather conditions and environmental hazards. It is also easy to clean after use. Professionals can safely dispose of asbestos fibres after they have been removed.
Amosite
Asbestos is a class of fibrous silicates found in various types of rock formations. It is comprised of six general groups: serpentine, amphibole anthophyllite, tremolite and crocidolite (IARC 1973).
Asbestos minerals are made up of long, thin fibers that range in length from fine to broad. They can also be straight or curled. They are found in nature as individual fibrils or bundles that have splaying ends, referred to as a fibril matrix. Asbestos minerals can also be found in powder form (talc) or mixed with other minerals and sold as vermiculite and talcum powder and are used in consumer products such as baby powder cosmetics, face powder, and baby powder.
Asbestos was heavily used in the early two-thirds of the 20th century to construct construction of ships insulation, fireproofing, insulation and other construction materials. Most occupational exposures were airborne asbestos fibres, but certain workers were exposed to vermiculite and talc that had been contaminated, and to fragments of asbestos-bearing rocks (ATSDR, 2001). Exposures varied from industry to industry, era to, and geographical location.
Exposure to asbestos in the workplace is usually caused by inhalation. However there are workers who have been exposed through contact with skin or eating contaminated foods. Asbestos is only found in the air due to natural weathering and degrading of products that are contaminated like ceiling and floor tiles, car brakes and clutches as well as insulation.
There is growing evidence that amphibole fibres from non-commercial sources could also be carcinogenic. These fibres are not tightly knit like the fibrils found in amphibole or serpentine, they are loose, flexible, and needle-like. They can be found in the mountain sandstones, cliffs and sandstones of a variety of countries.
Asbestos may enter the environment in a variety ways, including in the form of airborne particles. It can also be released into water or soil. This can be triggered by both natural (weathering of asbestos-bearing rock) and anthropogenic sources (disintegration of asbestos-containing wastes as well as disposal in landfill sites). Asbestos contamination of ground and surface water is largely associated with natural weathering, but has also been triggered by anthropogenic activities such as milling and mining demolition and dispersal asbestos-containing materials as well as the disposal of contaminated dumping soils in landfills (ATSDR, 2001). Airborne asbestos fibres are the primary reason for illness among those exposed to it in their occupation.
Crocidolite
Exposure to asbestos through inhalation is the most frequent way people are exposed harmful fibres that can then be inhaled and cause serious health issues. This includes asbestosis and mesothelioma. Exposure to fibers can occur in other ways as well like contact with contaminated clothing, or building materials. This type of exposure is more hazardous when crocidolite (the blue asbestos form) is involved. Crocidolite fibers are smaller and more fragile which makes them more difficult to inhale. They can also lodge deeper inside lung tissues. It has been linked to a higher number of mesothelioma related cases than any other form of asbestos.
The six main types are chrysotile and amosite. Amosite and chrysotile are the most commonly used types of asbestos, and comprise 95 percent of all asbestos used in commercial construction. The other four asbestos types are not as common, but may still be found in older structures. They are not as hazardous as amosite and chrysotile, but they could pose a threat when mixed with other asbestos minerals or when mined in close proximity to other naturally occurring mineral deposits, such as vermiculite or talc.
warwick asbestos law firm have proven that there is a link between stomach cancer and asbestos exposure. The evidence isn't conclusive. Some researchers have cited an SMR (standardized death ratio) of 1.5 (95% confidence interval: 0.7-3.6), for all asbestos workers. However, others have reported an SMR of 1,24 (95 percent confidence interval: 0.76-2.5), for those who work 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 forms of asbestos could cause mesothelioma and other health issues, but the risks vary according to the amount of exposure that individuals are exposed to, the kind of asbestos involved as well as the duration of exposure and the way in which it is breathed in or ingested. IARC has stated that the best option for people is to stay clear of all types of asbestos. However, if someone has been exposed to asbestos in the past and suffer from a disease such as mesothelioma, or other respiratory illnesses it is recommended that they seek advice from their GP or NHS 111.
Amphibole
Amphiboles comprise a variety of minerals that create prism-like or needle-like crystals. They are a type of inosilicate mineral that is composed of double chains of SiO4 molecules. They usually possess a monoclinic crystal system but some also have an orthorhombic structure. The general formula of an amphibole is A0-1B2C5T8O22(OH,F)2. The double chains are made up of (Si,Al)O4 Tetrahedrons, which are connected in rings of six. Tetrahedrons can be separated by strips of octahedral sites.
Amphiboles are present in metamorphic and igneous rock. They are typically dark-colored and tough. They are sometimes difficult to differentiate from pyroxenes as they share similar hardness and colors. They also share a corresponding pattern of cleavage. Their chemistry can allow for a range of compositions. The different mineral groups in amphibole can be identified by their chemical compositions as well as crystal structures.
The five asbestos types that belong to the amphibole group include amosite, anthophyllite and chrysotile as well as crocidolite and actinolite. While the most popular asbestos type is chrysotile, each variety has its own unique characteristics. The most dangerous type of asbestos, crocidolite is composed of sharp fibers that are easy to breathe into the lung. Anthophyllite can be found in a brownish or yellowish color and is made mostly of iron and magnesium. This type was used to make cement and insulation materials.
Amphibole minerals are hard to analyze because they have a complicated chemical structure and numerous substitutions. Therefore, a detailed analysis of their composition requires specialized methods. EDS, WDS and XRD are the most common methods of identifying amphiboles. However, these methods can only give approximate identifications. For instance, these methods cannot differentiate between magnesio-hastingsite and magnesio-hornblende. In addition, these techniques can not distinguish between ferro-hornblende and pargasite.