The Dangers of Exposure to Asbestos
Before it was banned, asbestos was used in thousands commercial products. According research, exposure to asbestos can cause cancer as well as other health issues.
It is difficult to tell by looking at a thing if it is made up of asbestos. Neither can you taste or smell it. It is only visible in the event that asbestos-containing products are drilled, chipped or broken.
Chrysotile
At its peak, chrysotile made the majority of asbestos production. It was utilized in a variety of industries such as construction, fireproofing, and insulation. If workers are exposed to asbestos, they are likely to develop mesothelioma along with other asbestos-related illnesses. Thankfully, the use of this dangerous mineral has decreased drastically since mesothelioma awareness started to increase in the 1960's. However, trace amounts of it remain in many of the products we use in the present.
Chrysotile can be safely used when a thorough safety and handling plan is put into place. Workers handling chrysotile are not at risk of being exposed to a high degree of risk at the present limits of exposure. The inhalation of airborne particles has been found to be strongly linked with lung cancer and lung fibrosis. This has been proven to be true for both the intensity (dose) and duration of exposure.
One study that studied the operation of a factory that utilized almost exclusively chrysotile for manufacturing friction materials compared the mortality rates of this factory with national mortality rates. It was found that, for the 40 years of processing asbestos chrysotile in low levels of exposure There was no significant excess mortality in this factory.
Chrysotile fibers are generally shorter than other types of asbestos. They can pass through the lungs, and then pass through the bloodstream. They are more likely to cause health problems than longer fibres.
When chrysotile is mixed into cement, it is very difficult for the fibres to become airborne and pose any health risks. Fibre cement products are used in various parts of the world including hospitals and schools.
Research has demonstrated that amphibole asbestos like amosite, crocidolite, or crocidolite, is less likely than chrysotile to cause diseases. Amphibole types like these are the primary source of mesothelioma as well as other asbestos-related diseases. When chrysotile and cement are mixed, a durable product is produced which is able to withstand the most extreme environmental hazards and weather conditions. It is also very easy to clean after use. Professionals can safely remove asbestos fibres once they have been removed.
Amosite
Asbestos is a class of fibrous silicates that are found in a variety of rock formations. It is comprised of six general groups: serpentine, amphibole anthophyllite, tremolite, anthophyllite, crocidolite (IARC 1973).
Asbestos minerals are composed of long, thin fibers that range in length, ranging from very thin to broad and straight to curled. These fibers are found in nature in the form of individual fibrils or bundles with splaying edges called a fibril matrix. Asbestos can also be found in powder form (talc) or combined with other minerals to create vermiculite or talcum powder. They are extensively used as consumer goods, such as baby powder, cosmetics and facial powder.
Asbestos was heavily used in the first two thirds of the 20th century for shipbuilding insulation, fireproofing, insulation and other construction materials. Most occupational exposures were asbestos fibres borne by air, but some workers were exposed to vermiculite and talc that had been contaminated, and to fragments of asbestos-bearing rocks (ATSDR, 2001). Exposures varied by industry, time period, and geographic location.
The majority of occupational exposures to asbestos were due to inhalation. However, certain workers were exposed via skin contact or through eating contaminated food. Asbestos is only present in the environment due to natural weathering of mined ores and the degrading of contaminated materials such as insulation, car brakes and clutches as well as ceiling and floor tiles.
There is emerging evidence that amphibole fibers that are not commercially available could also be carcinogenic. These fibres are not tightly weaved like the fibrils in amphibole and serpentine but are instead loose as well as flexible and needle-like. These fibers are found in mountains, sandstones, and cliffs in a variety of countries.
riverside asbestos lawsuit can be found in the environment as airborne particles, but it can also be absorbed into water and soil. This happens both through natural (weathering and erosion of asbestos-bearing rocks) and anthropogenic (disintegration and disposal of asbestos-containing wastes in landfill sites) sources. Asbestos contamination of surface and ground water is largely associated with natural weathering. However, it has also been triggered by anthropogenic activities such as mining and milling demolition and dispersal of asbestos-containing material and the disposal of contaminated dumping soils in landfills (ATSDR 2001). Inhalation exposure to airborne asbestos fibers is the primary cause of illness among people exposed to asbestos in the workplace.
Crocidolite
Exposure to asbestos through inhalation is the most common way people are exposed to harmful fibres that can then be inhaled and cause serious health issues. These include mesothelioma and asbestosis. Exposure to asbestos fibres can be triggered in other ways, like contact with contaminated clothing or building materials. The dangers of exposure are greater when crocidolite (the asbestos that is blue is involved. Crocidolite is a smaller, more fragile fibers that are easier to breathe and can be lodged deeper into lung tissue. It has been associated with more mesothelioma cancer cases than other types of asbestos.
The six main types of asbestos are chrysotile amosite, epoxiemite, tremolite, anthophyllite and actinolite. The most commonly used asbestos types are epoxiemite as well as chrysotile which together make up the majority of commercial asbestos used. The other four types of asbestos haven't been as widely used but they can be present in older buildings. They are less dangerous than chrysotile or amosite but can still be a danger when mixed with other minerals, or when mined close to other mineral deposits, such as talc and vermiculite.
Numerous studies have demonstrated that there is a link between stomach cancer and asbestos exposure. The evidence is not conclusive. Some researchers have reported an overall SMR (standardized mortality ratio) of 1.5 (95% 95% confidence interval: 0.7-3.6) for all workers exposed to asbestos while other studies have reported an SMR of 1.24 (95 percent of the CI = 0.76-2.5) for workers in chrysotile mines and mills.
IARC, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, has classified all forms of asbestos carcinogenic. All forms of asbestos could cause mesothelioma or other health issues, although the risk is dependent on the amount of exposure that individuals are exposed to, the type of asbestos involved, the duration of their exposure and the way in which it is inhaled or consumed. IARC has stated that the best option for people is to avoid all forms of asbestos. However, if a person has been exposed to asbestos in the past and are suffering from an illness such as mesothelioma or other respiratory conditions it is recommended that they seek advice from their GP or NHS 111.
Amphibole
Amphiboles are a collection of minerals which can create prism-like or needle-like crystals. They are a kind of inosilicate mineral made up of double chains of SiO4 molecules. They typically have a monoclinic structure in their crystals, although some 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 a series of six tetrahedrons. The tetrahedrons can be separated by strips of octahedral sites.
Amphibole minerals are common in igneous and metamorphic rocks. They are usually dark and hard. They can be difficult to differentiate from pyroxenes since they share similar hardness and colors. They also share a similar cleavage pattern. However, their chemistry allows for a wide range of compositions. The chemical compositions and crystal structures of the various mineral groups in amphibole can be used to determine their composition.
Amphibole asbestos comprises chrysotile and the five types of asbestos: amosite anthophyllite (crocidolite) amosite (actinolite) and amosite. While the most popular form of asbestos is chrysotile, each variety is unique in its own way. The most harmful type of asbestos, crocidolite, is composed of sharp fibers that are simple to breathe into the lungs. Anthophyllite comes in a brownish-to yellowish color and is composed primarily of magnesium and iron. The variety was used previously in cement-based products and insulation materials.
Amphibole minerals are hard to analyze due to their complex chemical structures and numerous substitutions. A detailed analysis of the composition of amphibole mineral requires specialized methods. EDS, WDS and XRD are the most commonly used methods of identifying amphiboles. These methods are only able to provide approximate identifications. These techniques, for example cannot differentiate between magnesio hastingsite and magnesio hastingsite. These techniques also cannot differentiate between ferro-hornblende or pargasite.