The Dangers of Exposure to Asbestos
Asbestos was found in thousands of commercial products before it was banned. According to research, exposure to asbestos can cause cancer as well as other health issues.
You cannot tell if something has asbestos just by looking at it, and you are unable to smell or taste it. Asbestos can only be identified when the materials that contain it are broken, drilled, or chipped.
Chrysotile
At its peak, chrysotile accounted for up 99% of asbestos production. It was employed in a variety of industries including construction, insulation, and fireproofing. If workers are exposed to asbestos, they may develop mesothelioma or other asbestos-related illnesses. Thankfully, the use of this toxic mineral has decreased dramatically since mesothelioma awareness began to spread in the 1960's. It is still found in many of the products we use in the present.
Chrysotile is safe to use when you have a thorough safety and handling program in place. It has been proven that, at the present controlled exposure levels, there isn't an undue risk to the workers working with the substance. Lung fibrosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma have been strongly associated with breathing in airborne respirable fibres. This has been confirmed for the intensity (dose) as in the time of exposure.
One study that looked into an industrial facility that used almost exclusively chrysotile for manufacturing friction materials compared mortality rates in this factory with national mortality rates. It was discovered that, for the 40 years of processing chrysotile asbestos at low levels of exposure, there was no significant excess mortality in this factory.
Chrysotile fibres are usually shorter than other forms of asbestos. They can pass through the lungs and then enter the bloodstream. This makes them more prone to causing health effects than fibrils with a longer length.
It is extremely difficult for chrysotile fibers to be inhaled or to pose a health risk when mixed with cement. Fibre cement products are used in various parts of the world including hospitals and schools.
Research has revealed that amphibole asbestos such as crocidolite or amosite is less likely to cause diseases. These amphibole varieties are the primary cause of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. When the cement and chrysotile are combined, a durable and flexible material is created that can withstand extreme environmental hazards and weather conditions. It is also easy to clean after use. Professionals can safely remove asbestos fibres once they have been removed.
Amosite
Asbestos is a class of fibrous silicates found in certain types rock formations. It is divided into six groups including amphibole (serpentine) and Tremolite (tremolite) anthophyllite (crocidolite) and anthophyllite.
folsom asbestos attorneys comprise long, thin fibers that range in length from fine to wide. They can also be straight or curled. These fibers are found in nature in the form of individual fibrils or bundles with splaying ends called fibril matrix. Asbestos is also found in powder form (talc), or combined with other minerals in order to create vermiculite or talcum powder. These are widely used as consumer goods, like baby powder, cosmetics and facial powder.
Asbestos was widely used during the early two-thirds of the 20th century to construct construction of ships insulation, fireproofing and various other construction materials. The majority of occupational exposures involved asbestos fibres borne by air, but some workers were exposed to contaminated vermiculite or talc as well as to fragments of asbestos-bearing rock (ATSDR 2001). Exposures varied according to the industry, time frame and geographic location.
Exposure to asbestos in the workplace is mainly caused by inhalation. However there have been instances of workers being exposed through skin contact or eating food that is contaminated. Asbestos can be found in the environment from the natural weathering of mined minerals and the deterioration of products contaminated with asbestos like insulation, car brakes and clutches and ceiling and floor tiles.
There is emerging evidence that non-commercial amphibole fibres may also be carcinogenic. These are the fibres that don't form the tightly weaved fibrils of amphibole and serpentine minerals, but instead are loose, flexible and needle-like. They can be found in the cliffs, mountains and sandstones of a variety of countries.
Asbestos can enter the environment in many ways, including through airborne particles. It can also be released into soil or water. This is caused by both natural (weathering of asbestos-bearing rock) and anthropogenic sources (disintegration of asbestos-containing wastes and disposal in landfill sites). Asbestos contamination of surface and ground water is mostly caused by natural weathering. However, it has also been caused by human activity, for instance through mining and milling of asbestos-containing materials demolition and dispersal and the disposal of contaminated waste in landfills (ATSDR 2001). Inhalation exposure to airborne asbestos fibres is the most common cause of illness for people exposed to asbestos at work.
Crocidolite
Inhalation exposure is the most popular method of exposure to asbestos fibres. These fibres can get into the lung and cause serious health problems. These include mesothelioma and asbestosis. Exposure to fibres can occur in a variety of ways including contact with contaminated clothing or construction materials. This kind of exposure is more hazardous when crocidolite (the blue form of asbestos) is involved. Crocidolite fibers are softer and less brittle and therefore easier to breathe. They also can get deeper into lung tissues. It has been linked to a larger number of mesothelioma related cases than any other form of asbestos.
The six primary types are chrysotile and amosite. The most common forms of asbestos are epoxiemite as well as chrysotile which together comprise 95% all commercial asbestos used. The other four asbestos types are not as widespread, but they can still be found in older structures. They are less hazardous than amosite and chrysotile, but they could pose a threat when mixed with other asbestos minerals or mined close to other naturally occurring mineral deposits, like talc or vermiculite.
Many studies have discovered an connection between asbestos exposure and stomach cancer. Several studies have found a link between asbestos exposure and stomach. However, the evidence is contradictory. Some researchers have cited an SMR (standardized mortality ratio) of 1.5 (95% of the time CI: 0.7-3.6) for all workers exposed to asbestos as well as an SMR of 1.24 (95% CI: 0.76-2.5) for those who work in chrysotile mines and mills.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified all asbestos types as carcinogenic. All forms of asbestos could cause mesothelioma or other health problems, but the risk is dependent on the amount of exposure that individuals are exposed to, the type of asbestos involved as well as the length of their exposure and the way in the way that it is breathed in or consumed. IARC has declared that the best choice for individuals is to avoid all types of asbestos. However, if people have been exposed to asbestos in the past and are suffering from a disease such as mesothelioma or any other respiratory conditions and require advice, they should seek out guidance from their physician or NHS 111.
Amphibole
Amphibole is a class of minerals that form long prisms or needle-like crystals. They are a kind of inosilicate mineral made up of two chains of SiO4 molecules. They typically have a monoclinic structure in their crystals but some also have an orthorhombic structure. The general formula of an amphibole is A0-1B2C5T8O22(OH,F)2. The double chains contain (Si, Al)O4 tetrahedrons linked together in rings of six tetrahedrons. The tetrahedrons are separated one another by octahedral sites in strips.
Amphibole minerals can be found in igneous and metamorphic rocks. They are typically dark and hard. They are sometimes difficult to differentiate from pyroxenes because they have similar hardness and colors. They also share a corresponding cleavage pattern. Their chemistry allows for a variety of compositions. The various amphibole mineral groups are identified by their chemical compositions as well as crystal structures.
The five types of asbestos that belong to the amphibole group include chrysotile, anthophyllite, amosite as well as crocidolite and actinolite. While the most commonly used form of asbestos is chrysotile, each variety has distinct characteristics. Crocidolite is the most dangerous asbestos kind. It is made up of sharp fibers that can easily be inhaled into the lung. Anthophyllite is a brownish to yellowish color and is made mostly of iron and magnesium. It was previously used in cement-based products and insulation materials.
Amphibole minerals can be difficult to study because of their an intricate chemical structure and many substitutions. An in-depth analysis of the composition of amphibole mineral requires specialized methods. EDS, WDS and XRD are the most widely used methods of identifying amphiboles. These methods are only able to provide approximate identifications. For instance, these techniques, cannot distinguish between magnesio hastingsite and magnesio hastingsite. Additionally, these techniques do not distinguish between ferro-hornblende or pargasite.