The Dangers of Exposure to Asbestos

Asbestos was a component in thousands of commercial products before it was banned. According research, exposure to asbestos can cause cancer and many other health problems.

It is impossible to determine if a product has asbestos just by looking at it, and you cannot smell or taste it. It is only found when the asbestos-containing materials are drilled, chipped or broken.

Chrysotile

At its peak, chrysotile made up for 99percent of the asbestos produced. It was used in many industries, including construction, insulation, and fireproofing. However, if workers were exposed to the toxic material, they may develop mesothelioma, as well as other asbestos-related diseases. Since the 1960s, when mesothelioma first became an issue asbestos use has declined significantly. It is still present in many of the products we use today.

Chrysotile is safe to use with a well-thought-out safety and handling plan is put in place. People who handle chrysotile do not at risk of being exposed to a high degree of risk based on the current safe exposure levels. Lung cancer, lung fibrosis and asbestos mesothelioma have all been found to be strongly associated with breathing in airborne respirable fibres. This has been confirmed for intensity (dose) as well as duration of exposure.

A study that looked at a factory that used almost exclusively chrysotile in the production of friction materials, compared mortality rates at this factory with national death rates. It was concluded that for 40 years of processing asbestos chrysotile at a low level of exposure There was no significant additional mortality in this factory.

Chrysotile fibres are usually shorter than other types of asbestos. They are able to enter the lungs and then enter the bloodstream. They are more likely to cause health problems than fibres with longer lengths.

When chrysotile is mixed with cement, it's very difficult for the fibres to become airborne and pose health risks. Fibre cement products are widely used in many parts of the world, including schools and hospitals.

Research has revealed that amphibole asbestos such as crocidolite or amosite is less likely than chrysotile to cause diseases. These amphibole kinds have been the main cause of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related illnesses. When chrysotile mixes with cement, it forms a tough, flexible building product that can withstand harsh weather conditions and other environmental dangers. It is also easy to clean after use. Professionals can safely dispose of asbestos fibres after they have been removed.

Amosite

Asbestos is a term used to describe a class of fibrous silicate minerals that naturally occur in certain kinds of rock formations. It consists of six general groups: amphibole, serpentine anthophyllite, tremolite and crocidolite (IARC, 1973).

Asbestos minerals are made up of long, thin fibers that vary in length from extremely thin to broad and straight to curled. These fibres are found in nature as individual fibrils or bundles with splaying ends called a fibril matrix. Asbestos minerals can also be found as a powder (talc) or mixed with other minerals and sold as talcum powder and vermiculite which are widely used in consumer products like baby powder cosmetics, face powder and baby powder.

The largest asbestos use was during the early two-thirds of the 20th century when it was utilized in insulation, shipbuilding, fireproofing, and other construction materials. The majority of asbestos-containing exposures to the workplace occurred in the air, but some workers also were exposed to asbestos law-bearing rock fragments and contaminated vermiculite. Exposures varied from industry industry, era era and even geographical location.

The majority of occupational exposures to asbestos were because of inhalation, but some workers were also exposed via skin contact or by eating food contaminated with asbestos. Asbestos can be found in the environment from the natural weathering of mined ore and the degrading of contaminated materials such as insulation, car brakes and clutches, and floor and ceiling tiles.

It is becoming evident that non-commercial amphibole fibres may also be carcinogenic. These are fibers that do not have the tight interwoven fibrils that are found in the amphibole and serpentine minerals but instead are flexible, loose and needle-like. These fibers can be found in the cliffs, mountains and sandstones from a variety of nations.

Asbestos may enter the environment in a variety ways, such as in airborne particles. It can also be absorbed into soil or water. This is caused by both natural (weathering of asbestos-bearing rocks) and anthropogenic causes (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 triggered by anthropogenic activities like mining and milling, demolition and dispersal of asbestos-containing materials and the disposal of contaminated dumping soil in landfills (ATSDR 2001). Asbestos fibres that are emitted from the air are the primary cause of illness among people exposed to asbestos in their work.

Crocidolite

Exposure to asbestos through inhalation is the most frequent method by which people are exposed to harmful fibres that can then enter the lungs and cause serious health problems. This includes asbestosis and mesothelioma. Exposure to asbestos fibers can be experienced in other ways, such as contact with contaminated clothes or building materials. The dangers of exposure are more pronounced when crocidolite which is the asbestos in the blue form is involved. Crocidolite fibers are thinner and more fragile which makes them more difficult to inhale. They can also be lodged deeper into lung tissue. It has been associated with more mesothelioma cancer cases than other types of asbestos.

The six major types of asbestos are chrysotile amosite, epoxiemite, tremolite anthophyllite, and actinolite. Chrysotile and amosite are among the most commonly used types of asbestos and account for 95% of the commercial asbestos that is used. The other four types haven't been as extensively used however they can be found in older buildings. They are less hazardous than amosite or chrysotile but still be a danger when mixed with other minerals, or when mined near other mineral deposits such as vermiculite and talc.

Many studies have discovered an association between exposure to asbestos and stomach cancer. A number of studies have confirmed that asbestos exposure is linked to stomach. The evidence isn't conclusive. 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 workers in mines and chrysotile mills.

IARC, the International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified all kinds of asbestos as carcinogenic. All asbestos types can cause mesothelioma, however, the risk is dependent on how much exposure is taken, what type of asbestos is involved and asbestos the length of time that exposure lasts. The IARC has recommended that avoid all forms of asbestos should be the highest priority as it is the best option for people. However, if people have been exposed to asbestos in the past and are suffering from a disease such as mesothelioma and other respiratory illnesses, they should seek guidance from their physician or NHS 111.

Amphibole

Amphibole belongs to a group of minerals that form long prisms or needlelike crystals. They are a type inosilicate mineral made up of double chains of SiO4 molecules. They have a monoclinic system of crystals, but certain crystals have an orthorhombic form. The general formula of an amphibole is A0-1B2C5T8O22(OH,F)2. The double chains are made up of (Si,Al)O4 Tetrahedrons which are connected in rings of six. The tetrahedrons are separated from one another by strips of octahedral sites.

Amphiboles occur in metamorphic and igneous rock. They are usually dark and hard. Due to their similarity of hardness and color, they can be difficult for some people to differentiate from pyroxenes. They also have a similar cut. However their chemistry allows many different compositions. The chemical compositions and crystal structures of the various minerals in amphibole can be used to determine their composition.

The five asbestos types in the amphibole family include amosite, anthophyllite, crocidolite, and actinolite. The most widely used asbestos type is chrysotile each type has distinct characteristics. Crocidolite is the most hazardous asbestos type. It has sharp fibers that can easily be breathed into the lung. Anthophyllite has a brownish to yellowish hue and is made primarily of magnesium and iron. This type of stone was once used in cement and insulation materials.

Amphiboles are difficult to analyze due to their complicated chemical structure and numerous substitutions. Therefore, a thorough analysis of their composition requires special techniques. EDS, WDS and XRD are the most widely used methods for identifying amphiboles. These methods are only able to provide approximate identifications. For instance, they cannot differentiate between magnesio-hastingsite and magnesio-hornblende. Additionally, these techniques do not distinguish between ferro-hornblende as well as pargasite.