The Dangers of Exposure to Asbestos
Before it was banned, asbestos was used in a myriad of commercial products. According to research, asbestos exposure can cause cancer and many other health problems.
It is difficult to tell if something includes asbestos simply by looking at it and you cannot taste or smell it. It is only discovered when materials containing asbestos are drilled, chipped or broken.
Chrysotile
At its peak, chrysotile accounted for up 99% of the asbestos produced. It was utilized in a variety of industries including construction insulation, fireproofing, and insulation. In the event that workers were exposed to this harmful material, they could develop mesothelioma as well as other asbestos related diseases. Fortunately, the use this dangerous mineral has decreased dramatically since mesothelioma awareness began to increase in the 1960's. It is still found in many of the 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 determined that, at the present controlled exposure levels, there isn't an undue risk to the workers working with the substance. Lung cancer, lung fibrosis and mesothelioma have all been found to be strongly linked to breathing airborne respirable fibres. This has been confirmed both for the intensity (dose) as in the time of exposure.
In one study, mortality rates were compared between a manufacturing facility that used a large proportion of Chrysotile for the production of friction materials and national death rates. The study concluded that, after 40 years of manufacturing low levels of chrysotile there was no significant increase in mortality in this factory.
Chrysotile fibres are typically shorter than other types of asbestos. They can enter the lungs and then enter the bloodstream. This makes them more likely to cause ill-health effects than longer fibres.
When chrysotile is mixed into cement, it's extremely difficult for the fibres to become airborne and pose any health risks. Fibre cement products are extensively used in a variety of locations around the world including hospitals and schools.
Research has proven that chrysotile is less prone to cause illness than amphibole asbestos such as amosite and crocidolite. Amphibole types like these are the primary source of mesothelioma as well as other asbestos-related diseases. When chrysotile gets mixed with cement, it forms a strong, flexible building product that can withstand the most extreme conditions in the weather and other environmental hazards. It is also very easy to clean after use. Professionals can safely dispose of asbestos fibres after they have been removed.
Amosite
Asbestos refers to a group of fibrous silicate minerals that naturally occur in certain types of rock formations. It consists of six general groups: serpentine, amphibole as well as tremolite, anthophyllite, and crocidolite (IARC, 1973).
Asbestos minerals are made up of long, thin fibres that range in length from extremely fine to broad and straight to curled. They are found in nature as individual fibrils or bundles that have splaying ends, referred to as fibril matrix. Asbestos minerals can be found as a powder (talc) or mixed with other minerals and sold as talcum powder and vermiculite which are widely used in consumer products, such as baby powder cosmetics, face powder, and baby powder.
The largest use of asbestos was in the early two-thirds of the twentieth century where it was used in insulation, shipbuilding, fireproofing, and other construction materials. The majority of occupational exposures involved airborne asbestos fibres, but certain workers were exposed to vermiculite and talc that had been contaminated and also to fragments of asbestos-bearing rock (ATSDR, 2001). Exposures varied by industry, time and geographical location.
Most of the occupational exposures to asbestos were due to inhalation. However, certain workers were exposed through contact with skin or by eating food contaminated with asbestos. Asbestos can be found in the the natural weathering of mined minerals and the deterioration of products contaminated with asbestos such as insulation, car brakes, clutches as well as ceiling and floor tiles.
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 and serpentine but are instead loose elastic, flexible, and needle-like. They can be found in the mountain sandstones, cliffs and sandstones from a variety of nations.
Asbestos enters the environment mainly as airborne particles, but it also leaches into soil and water. This can be caused 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 in surface and ground water is mostly caused by natural weathering. However it can also be caused by human activity, for instance by the milling and mining of asbestos-containing materials demolition and dispersal and the removal of contaminated dumping material in landfills (ATSDR 2001). Asbestos fibres that are emitted from the air are the main cause of illness among people exposed to asbestos during their work.
Crocidolite
Inhalation exposure is the most commonly used method of exposure to asbestos fibres. These fibres can enter the lung and cause serious health problems. Mesothelioma, asbestosis, and other diseases can be caused by asbestos fibres. The exposure to asbestos can happen in other ways as well, such as contact with contaminated clothing or building materials. The dangers of exposure are more pronounced when crocidolite, a blue form of asbestos is involved. Crocidolite fibers are thinner and more fragile which makes them more difficult to breathe. They can also get deeper into lung tissues. It has been linked to a higher number of mesothelioma related cases than any other form of asbestos.
The six main types of asbestos are chrysotile, amosite as well as epoxiemite. Tremolite is anthophyllite, and actinolite. Amosite and chrysotile are two of the most commonly used types of asbestos and make up 95 percent of all commercial asbestos in use. The other four asbestos types are not as well-known, but can still be found in older structures. They are not as hazardous as amosite and chrysotile. However, they could pose a threat when mixed with other asbestos minerals, or when mined in close proximity to other mineral deposits, such as vermiculite or talc.
Numerous studies have revealed an association between stomach cancer and asbestos exposure. However the evidence isn't conclusive. Certain researchers have reported an overall SMR (standardized mortality ratio) of 1.5 (95 percent range of CI: 0.7-3.6) for all workers exposed to asbestos, while others have reported an SMR of 1.24 (95% CI: 0.76-2.5) for workers in chrysotile mines and mills.
IARC the International Agency for Research on Cancer, has classified all types of asbestos as carcinogenic. All asbestos types can cause mesothelioma, but the risks vary depending on how much exposure, what type of asbestos is involved, and how long the exposure lasts. The IARC has advised that abstaining from all asbestos forms is the best option, as this is the most safe option for people. If you've been exposed in the past to asbestos and are suffering from a respiratory illness or mesothelioma, you should see your physician or NHS111.
Amphibole
Amphibole belongs to a group of minerals that form long prisms or needlelike crystals. They are an inosilicate mineral that is composed of two chains of SiO4 molecules. They have a monoclinic structure of crystals, however some 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 that are linked in rings of six. The tetrahedrons can be separated from one another by octahedral sites that are surrounded by strips.
Amphiboles can be found in both igneous and metamorphic rock. They are usually dark and hard. They are sometimes difficult to distinguish from pyroxenes because they have similar hardness and color. They also have a comparable Cleavage. However layton asbestos law firm allows many different compositions. The chemical compositions and crystal structure of the various mineral groups in amphibole can be used to determine their composition.
Amphibole asbestos includes chrysotile and the five types of asbestos amosite anthophyllite (crocidolite) amosite (actinolite), and amosite. Each type of asbestos comes with its own distinct properties. Crocidolite is the most dangerous asbestos kind. It contains sharp fibers that can easily be inhaled into the lungs. Anthophyllite can be found in a brownish or yellowish hue and is made primarily of magnesium and iron. This type of stone was once used in cement and insulation materials.
Amphibole minerals are hard to analyze because they have a complex chemical structures and numerous substitutions. Therefore, a detailed analysis of their composition requires special techniques. The most commonly used methods to identify amphiboles are EDS, WDS, and XRD. However, these methods can only give approximate identifications. For instance, these methods cannot differentiate between magnesio-hastingsite and magnesio-hornblende. Furthermore, these techniques do not distinguish between ferro hornblende and pargasite.