The Dangers of Exposure to Asbestos

Before it was banned, asbestos was used in a myriad of commercial products. According research, exposure to asbestos can cause cancer, as well as other health issues.

You can't tell if something includes asbestos law simply by looking at it and you can't taste or smell it. Asbestos is only detected when the substances that contain it are broken, drilled, or chipped.

Chrysotile

At its peak, chrysotile accounted for 99% of the asbestos produced. It was employed in a variety of industries like construction, insulation, and fireproofing. If workers are exposed to asbestos, they can develop mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. Fortunately, the use of this hazardous mineral has declined significantly since mesothelioma awareness began to grow in the 1960's. However, it is still present in trace amounts. can still be found in the products we use today.

Chrysotile can be safely used if a thorough safety and handling plan is put in place. People who handle chrysotile do not exposed to an unreasonable amount of risk at the present controlled exposure levels. Lung cancer, lung fibrosis and mesothelioma have all been found to be strongly linked to breathing airborne respirable fibres. This has been proven for the intensity (dose) as and the duration of exposure.

A study that looked at a facility that used nearly exclusively chrysotile for manufacturing friction materials, compared mortality rates in this facility with national mortality rates. It was found that, for 40 years of processing chrysotile asbestos at low levels of exposure There was no significant extra mortality in the factory.

As opposed to other forms of asbestos, chrysotile fibres tend to be smaller. They can pass through the lungs, and even enter the bloodstream. They are more likely to cause health problems than fibres with longer lengths.

It is extremely difficult for chrysotile fibres be in the air or pose a health risk when mixed with cement. The fibre cement products are used extensively throughout the world, especially in buildings like hospitals and schools.

Studies have shown that chrysotile is less prone to cause illness than amphibole asbestos like crocidolite and amosite. These amphibole forms have been the primary source of mesothelioma, as well as other asbestos-related illnesses. When chrysotile and cement are mixed and cured, a tough, flexible product is created which is able to withstand the most extreme weather conditions and environmental hazards. It is also easy to clean after use. Asbestos fibers can be easily removed by a professional, and then removed.

Amosite

asbestos litigation is a category of fibrous silicate minerals that are found naturally in specific kinds of rock formations. It is comprised of six main groups: amphibole, serpentine anthophyllite, tremolite and crocidolite (IARC 1973).

Asbestos minerals are composed of long, thin fibres that vary in length from very fine to wide and straight to curled. These fibers are found in nature in bundles or as individual fibrils. Asbestos can also be found in powder form (talc), or combined with other minerals to make vermiculite or talcum powder. They are extensively used in consumer products, like baby powder, cosmetics and facial powder.

The heaviest asbestos use occurred during the early two-thirds of the 20th century in the period when it was employed in shipbuilding, insulation, fireproofing, and other construction materials. The majority of occupational exposures to asbestos fibres were in the air, but some workers also were exposed to asbestos-bearing rock fragments and vermiculite that was contaminated. Exposures varied from industry industry, era to era and geographic location.

Asbestos exposure in the workplace is mostly due to inhalation. However there are workers who have been exposed via skin contact or by eating food items contaminated with asbestos. Asbestos is only found in the natural environment due to natural weathering and degrading of contaminated materials, such as ceiling and floor tiles cars, brakes and clutches, and insulation.

It is becoming evident that amphibole fibers that are not commercially available could also be carcinogenic. These fibers aren't weaved like the fibrils in amphibole or serpentine, but are instead loose as well as flexible and needle-like. These fibers are found in the mountains and cliffs of several countries.

Asbestos can be found in the environment in the form of airborne particles, however it can also leach into soil and water. This occurs both from natural (weathering and erosion of asbestos-bearing rocks) and ananthropogenic (disintegration and disposal of asbestos-containing wastes in landfill sites) sources. Asbestos contamination of ground and surface water is mostly a result of natural weathering, however it 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 ground in landfills (ATSDR 2001). Asbestos fibres that are emitted from the air are the primary reason for illness among those exposed to asbestos during their work.

Crocidolite

Inhalation exposure is the most frequent method of exposure to asbestos fibres. The fibres can penetrate the lungs, causing serious health problems. This includes asbestosis and mesothelioma. Exposure to fibres can occur in other ways as well, for example, contact with contaminated clothing or construction materials. The dangers of this kind of exposure are more pronounced when crocidolite (the asbestos in the blue form is involved. Crocidolite fibers are smaller and more fragile making them more palatable to breathe in. They can also lodge deeper in lung tissue. It has been linked to a greater number of mesothelioma-related cancers than any other type of asbestos.

The six major types are chrysotile, amosite and chrysotile. The most well-known forms of asbestos are epoxiemite as well as chrysotile which together make up 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 not as hazardous as amosite and chrysotile, but they may pose a danger when combined with other asbestos minerals or mined in close proximity to other mineral deposits, like talc or vermiculite.

Many studies have discovered an connection between asbestos exposure and stomach cancer. However there is no conclusive evidence. Some researchers have cited a SMR (standardized death ratio) of 1.5 (95 percent confidence interval: 0.7-3.6), for all asbestos workers, while others report an SMR of 1,24 (95 percent confidence interval: 0.76-2.5), for workers in chrysotile mills and mines.

IARC, the International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified all types of asbestos as carcinogenic. All kinds of asbestos may cause mesothelioma or other health issues, although the risk is dependent on the amount of exposure individuals are exposed to, the type of asbestos involved, the duration of their exposure and the method by the way it is inhaled or consumed. The IARC has recommended that avoid all forms of asbestos should be the highest priority as it is the most secure option for individuals. However, if someone has been exposed to asbestos in the past and are suffering from a condition such as mesothelioma, or other respiratory ailments and require advice, they should seek out guidance from their physician or NHS 111.

Amphibole

Amphiboles are groups of minerals which can form prism-like or needle-like crystals. They are an inosilicate mineral made up of double chains of SiO4 molecules. They usually have a monoclinic crystal structure however, some have an orthorhombic structure. The general formula of an amphibole is A0-1B2C5T8O22(OH,F)2. The double chains comprise (Si, Al)O4 tetrahedrons linked together in rings of six tetrahedrons. The tetrahedrons are separated from each other by octahedral sites that are surrounded by strips.

Amphiboles occur in both igneous and metamorphic rock. They are usually dark and hard. Because of their similar hardness and color, they may be difficult for some people to distinguish from the pyroxenes. They also share a similar Cleavage. However their chemistry permits an array of compositions. The chemical compositions and crystal structure of the various mineral groups found in amphibole may be used to identify them.

The five types of asbestos in the amphibole family include amosite, anthophyllite and chrysotile, crocidolite, and actinolite. Each kind of asbestos has its own distinct properties. Crocidolite is among the most dangerous asbestos kind. It contains sharp fibers that can easily be breathed into the lungs. Anthophyllite can be found in a brownish or yellowish hue and is made primarily of magnesium and iron. This variety was used to make cement and insulation materials.

Amphibole minerals are difficult to study because of their a complicated chemical structure and a variety of substitutions. A detailed analysis of the composition of amphibole minerals requires special techniques. EDS, WDS and XRD are the most common methods of identifying amphiboles. These methods are only able to provide approximate identifications. For instance, these techniques cannot differentiate between magnesio-hastingsite and magnesio-hornblende. These techniques also do not differentiate between ferro-hornblende or pargasite.