The Dangers of Exposure to Asbestos
Before it was banned, asbestos was widely used in commercial products. Studies have shown that exposure to asbestos can cause cancer and other health issues.
It is not possible to tell by simply looking at a thing if it is made of asbestos. Also, you cannot smell or taste it. It is only discovered when the asbestos-containing materials are drilled, chipped or broken.
Chrysotile
At its peak, chrysotile made the majority of asbestos production. It was employed in many industries including construction insulation, fireproofing, and construction. If workers are exposed to asbestos, they can develop mesothelioma or other asbestos-related illnesses. Since the 1960s, when mesothelioma first became a concern, the use of asbestos has declined significantly. It is still present in a variety of products we use in the present.
Chrysotile is safe to use if you have a comprehensive safety and handling plan in place. Personnel handling chrysotile aren't at risk of being exposed to a high degree of risk at the present safe exposure levels. Lung fibrosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma have been strongly connected to breathing in airborne respirable fibres. This has been proven for the intensity (dose) as well as the duration of exposure.
One study that examined an industrial facility that used almost exclusively chrysotile to manufacture friction materials compared mortality rates in this facility with national mortality rates. cambridge asbestos attorneys was discovered that, for 40 years of processing chrysotile asbestos at low levels of exposure there was no signifi cant additional mortality in this factory.
Unlike some other forms of asbestos, chrysotile fibers tend to be smaller. They can enter the lungs, and enter the bloodstream. This makes them more likely to cause ill-health effects than fibrils with a longer length.
It is very difficult for chrysotile fibres to be in the air or pose a health risk when mixed with cement. Fibre cement products are widely utilized in many areas of the world including hospitals and schools.
Research has shown that amphibole asbestos like amosite or crocidolite is not as likely to cause disease. These amphibole types have been the primary source of mesothelioma, as well as other asbestos-related illnesses. When chrysotile is mixed in with cement, it creates an extremely durable and flexible building product that is able to withstand severe conditions in the weather and other environmental hazards. It is also easy to clean after use. Asbestos fibres can easily be removed by a professional and safely taken away.
Amosite
Asbestos is a grouping of fibrous silicates found in a variety of rock formations. It is comprised of six main groups: amphibole, serpentine anthophyllite, tremolite, anthophyllite, crocidolite (IARC 1973).
Asbestos minerals consist of long, thin fibers that vary in length, ranging from very fine to wide and straight to curled. They can be found in nature in bundles or individual fibrils. Asbestos is also found in a powder form (talc) or combined with other minerals to form vermiculite or talcum powder. They are used extensively in consumer products such as baby powder, cosmetics and facial powder.
Asbestos was used extensively in the first two thirds of the 20th century to construct construction of ships as well as insulation, fireproofing and various other construction materials. The majority of asbestos-related exposures in the workplace were in the air, but some workers also were exposed to asbestos-bearing rock fragments and contaminated vermiculite. Exposures varied from industry to industry, era to era and geographic location.
Exposure to asbestos in the workplace is mostly because of inhalation. However there are workers who have been exposed through contact with skin or by eating food items contaminated with asbestos. Asbestos can be found in the natural environment due to natural weathering and degradation of contaminated products like ceiling and floor tiles, car brakes and clutches, and insulation.
There is emerging evidence that amphibole fibers that are not commercially available could also be carcinogenic. These are fibers that do not form the tightly weaved fibrils of amphibole or serpentine minerals but instead are flexible, loose and needle-like. These fibers can be found in the mountain sandstones, cliffs and sandstones of many countries.
Asbestos may enter the environment in a variety of ways, including through airborne particles. It can also be absorbed into soil or water. This can be triggered by both natural (weathering of asbestos-bearing rocks) as well as anthropogenic sources (disintegration of asbestos-containing wastes and disposal in landfill sites). Asbestos contamination of ground and surface water is mostly due to natural weathering, but it has also been caused by human activities such as mining and milling demolition and dispersal asbestos-containing material and the disposal of contaminated dumping soil in landfills (ATSDR 2001). Asbestos fibres that are emitted from the air are the main cause of disease among those exposed to asbestos in their work.
Crocidolite
Inhalation exposure is the most common method of exposure to asbestos fibres. These fibres can infiltrate the lung and cause serious health issues. Mesothelioma and asbestosis as well as other diseases are all caused by asbestos fibres. The exposure to asbestos fibres could be triggered in other ways, including contact with contaminated clothing or building materials. The dangers of exposure are greater when crocidolite, the asbestos that is blue, is involved. Crocidolite fibers are thinner and more fragile which makes them more difficult to breathe. They can also lodge deeper into lung tissues. It has been linked to a larger number of mesothelioma related cases than any other form of asbestos.
The six major types of asbestos are chrysotile amosite as well as epoxiemite. Tremolite is anthophyllite and actinolite. Amosite and chrysotile are the most commonly used forms of asbestos, and comprise 95 percent of all commercial asbestos currently used. The other four asbestos types aren't as well-known, but can still be present in older structures. They aren't as hazardous as chrysotile or amosite but can still be a risk when mixed with other minerals, or when mined near other naturally occurring mineral deposits such as vermiculite and talc.
Several studies have found an connection between exposure to asbestos and stomach cancer. A number of studies have confirmed that asbestos exposure is linked to stomach. However the evidence isn't conclusive. Some researchers have cited a 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 chrysotile mills and mines.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified all asbestos types as carcinogenic. All asbestos types can cause mesothelioma, however the risks differ based on the amount of exposure, what kind of asbestos is involved, and how long the exposure lasts. IARC has declared that the best option for individuals is to avoid all forms of asbestos. However, if people have been exposed to asbestos in the past and suffer from a condition such as mesothelioma and other respiratory ailments, they should seek guidance from their GP or NHS 111.
Amphibole
Amphibole belongs to a group of minerals that form long prism or needle-like crystals. They are a type of inosilicate mineral made up of double chains of SiO4 molecules. They are a monoclinic system of crystals, 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 series of six tetrahedrons. The tetrahedrons are separated from one another by octahedral sites in strips.
Amphibole minerals are found in metamorphic and igneous rocks. They are usually dark-colored and are hard. They are sometimes difficult to distinguish from pyroxenes because they have similar hardness and color. They also have a comparable Cleavage. Their chemistry allows a wide variety of compositions. The various mineral groups in amphibole can be identified by their chemical compositions as well as crystal structures.
The five types of asbestos belonging to the amphibole family are chrysotile, anthophyllite, amosite and crocidolite. They also include actinolite. While the most frequently used form of asbestos is chrysotile; each has its own distinct characteristics. The most harmful type of asbestos, crocidolite is made up of sharp fibers that are easy to breathe into the lungs. Anthophyllite has a brownish to yellowish color and is composed primarily of magnesium and iron. This variety was once used in products like cement and insulation materials.
Amphiboles are difficult to analyze because of their complex chemical structure and the numerous substitutions. An in-depth analysis of the composition of amphibole minerals requires specialized techniques. EDS, WDS and XRD are the most commonly used methods for identifying amphiboles. However, these methods can only give approximate identifications. These techniques, for example cannot differentiate between magnesio hornblende and hastingsite. These techniques also don't distinguish between ferro-hornblende and pargasite.