The Dangers of Exposure to Asbestos

Before it was banned, asbestos was still used in a variety of commercial products. Research suggests that exposure to asbestos can cause cancer and other health problems.

It is impossible to tell just by looking at something if it contains asbestos. Neither can you smell or taste it. It is only visible when asbestos-containing materials are chipped, drilled or broken.

Chrysotile

At its peak, chrysotile made up for 99percent of the asbestos made. It was used by many industries which included construction, fireproofing, and insulation. If workers were exposed to the toxic material, they may develop mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. Thankfully, the use of this harmful mineral has diminished significantly since mesothelioma awareness began to increase in the 1960's. It is still found in many products we use today.

Chrysotile can be used safely with a well-thought-out safety and handling plan is put in place. People who handle chrysotile do not exposed to an unreasonable amount of risk at current limits of exposure. Lung cancer, lung fibrosis and mesothelioma are all connected to breathing in airborne respirable fibres. This has been confirmed both in terms of intensity (dose) as and the duration of exposure.

One study that looked into an industrial facility that used almost exclusively chrysotile to manufacture friction materials, compared mortality rates in this facility with national mortality rates. It was concluded that over the course of 40 years, processing asbestos chrysotile in low levels of exposure There was no significant additional mortality in this factory.

Unlike some other forms of asbestos, chrysotile fibers tend to be smaller. They can pass through the lungs and pass into the bloodstream. This makes them more prone to cause negative consequences than longer fibres.

It is extremely difficult for chrysotile fibres to be a threat to the air or pose any health risk when mixed with cement. Fibre cement products have been extensively used throughout the world, especially in buildings such as schools and hospitals.

Studies have shown that chrysotile has a lower chance to cause disease than amphibole asbestos such as crocidolite and amosite. These amphibole types have been the primary cause of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. When chrysotile and cement are mixed, a durable and flexible material is created that can withstand extreme environmental hazards and weather conditions. It is also simple to clean after use. Asbestos fibers can be easily removed by a professional and eliminated.

Amosite

Asbestos refers to a group of silicate fibrous minerals which are found naturally in a variety of types of rock formations. It is composed of six general groups: amphibole, serpentine anthophyllite, tremolite and crocidolite (IARC, 1973).

Asbestos minerals are composed of thin, long fibers that vary in length from fine to wide. They can be curled or straight. These fibers are found in nature as individual fibrils or as bundles with 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, which have been widely used in consumer products such as baby powder cosmetics, face powder and other.

Asbestos was extensively used in the early two-thirds of the 20th century to construct construction of ships insulation, fireproofing, insulation and other construction materials. The majority of asbestos-containing exposures to the workplace occurred in the air, however some workers were also exposed to asbestos-bearing rocks and vermiculite that was contaminated. Exposures varied from industry to industry, era era and geographic location.

Asbestos exposure in the workplace is mostly because of inhalation. However there are workers who have been exposed through contact with skin or eating food that is contaminated. Asbestos is currently only found in the environment from the natural weathering of mined minerals and the degrading of contaminated materials like insulation, car brakes, clutches and ceiling and floor tiles.

There is growing evidence that amphibole fibers that are not commercially available could also be carcinogenic. They are not tightly weaved like the fibrils that are found in amphibole or serpentine, but are instead loose elastic, flexible, and needle-like. These fibers are found in the cliffs and mountains in a variety of countries.

Asbestos can be absorbed into the environment in many ways, such as in airborne particles. It can also leach out into water or soil. This occurs both from natural (weathering and erosion of asbestos-bearing rocks) and ananthropogenic (disintegration and disposal of asbestos-containing wastes at landfill sites) sources. Asbestos contamination of surface and ground water is mostly a result of natural weathering, but has also been caused by anthropogenic activities like milling and mining, demolition and dispersal of asbestos-containing material and the disposal of contaminated dumping ground in landfills (ATSDR, 2001). The inhalation of asbestos fibres remains the main cause of illness for people exposed to asbestos at work.

Crocidolite

Inhalation exposure is the most commonly used method of exposure to asbestos claim fibres. These fibres can get into the lung and cause serious health problems. These include mesothelioma and asbestosis. Exposure to asbestos fibres can occur in different ways, including contact with contaminated clothing or building materials. The dangers of exposure are more pronounced when crocidolite (the asbestos that is blue is involved. Crocidolite fibers are less dense and more fragile and therefore easier to inhale. They can also get deeper within lung tissues. It has been linked to more mesothelioma cases than other types of asbestos.

The six main types of asbestos are chrysotile, amosite, epoxiemite, tremolite anthophyllite and actinolite. The most popular asbestos types are epoxiemite as well as chrysotile which together comprise the majority of commercial asbestos employed. The other four asbestos types are not as widespread, but they can still be found in older structures. They are less harmful than chrysotile and amosite, but they could be a risk when mixed with other asbestos minerals or mined close to other mineral deposits, like vermiculite or talc.

Several studies have found an association between asbestos exposure and stomach cancer. However, the evidence is contradictory. Some researchers have reported an SMR (standardized death ratio) of 1.5 (95% confidence interval: 0.7-3.6), for all asbestos workers, whereas others have reported an SMR of 1,24 (95 percent confidence interval: 0.76-2.5), for those working in mines and chrysotile mills.

IARC The IARC, also known as the International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified all forms of asbestos carcinogenic. All kinds of asbestos can cause mesothelioma or other health issues, but the risks vary according to the amount of exposure people are exposed to, the type of asbestos used as well as the length of their exposure, and the manner in which it is inhaled or ingested. The IARC has advised that abstaining from all asbestos forms should be the highest priority because this is the safest option for people. However, if people have been exposed to asbestos in the past and are suffering from an illness, such as mesothelioma and other respiratory conditions it is recommended that they seek advice from their doctor or NHS 111.

Amphibole

Amphibole is a group of minerals that form long prisms or needlelike crystals. They are a type of inosilicate minerals made of double chains of SiO4 molecules. They usually have a monoclinic crystal system 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 a ring of six tetrahedrons. The tetrahedrons are separated each other with octahedral strips.

Amphiboles occur in both igneous and metamorphic rock. They are usually dark-colored and are hard. Due to their similarity in hardness and colour, they can be difficult for some people to distinguish from pyroxenes. They also have a similar Cleavage. However their chemistry permits the use of a variety of compositions. The various minerals within amphibole can be identified by their chemical compositions as well as crystal structures.

Amphibole asbestos includes chrysotile and the five asbestos types amosite, anthophyllite (crocidolite), amosite (actinolite) and amosite. While the most commonly used form of asbestos is chrysotile. Each variety has distinct characteristics. Crocidolite is among the most dangerous asbestos type. It is made up of sharp fibers that can easily be breathed into the lung. Anthophyllite can be found in a brownish or yellowish color and is made mostly of iron and magnesium. The variety was used previously in products like cement and insulation materials.

Amphibole minerals are difficult to analyze because they have an intricate chemical structure and many substitutions. Therefore, a thorough analysis of their composition requires specialized methods. The most common methods of identifying amphiboles include EDS, WDS, and XRD. However, these methods only provide approximate identifications. For instance, these methods can't distinguish between magnesio hastingsite and magnesio-hornblende. Furthermore, these techniques do not distinguish between ferro-hornblende or pargasite.