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The Dangers of Exposure to Asbestos

Asbestos was a component in thousands of commercial products before it was banned. Research suggests that exposure to asbestos can cause cancer and other health problems.

It is impossible to tell just by looking at something whether it is made of asbestos. It is also impossible to taste or smell it. It is only discovered when asbestos-containing materials are chipped, drilled or broken.

Chrysotile

At its peak, chrysotile accounted for 95% of the asbestos produced. It was widely used in industries, including construction, insulation, and fireproofing. Unfortunately, if workers were exposed to the toxic material, they could contract mesothelioma as well as other asbestos related diseases. Fortunately, the use of this toxic mineral has decreased drastically since mesothelioma awareness started to grow in the 1960's. However, trace amounts of it can still be found in common products that we use in the present.

Chrysotile is safe to use if you have a comprehensive safety and handling plan in place. It has been proven that, at the present controlled exposure levels, there is no danger to the people handling the substance. Inhaling airborne fibres has been found to be strongly linked with lung cancer and lung fibrosis. This has been confirmed both in terms of intensity (dose) as in the time of exposure.

One study that looked into a factory that used almost all chrysotile as its friction materials, compared mortality rates in this factory with national mortality rates. It was discovered that, for the 40 years of processing asbestos chrysotile in low levels of exposure there was no significant excess mortality in this factory.

As opposed to other forms of asbestos, chrysotile fibers tend to be smaller. They can penetrate the lungs, and even enter the bloodstream. This makes them much more likely to cause ill-health effects than fibrils with a longer length.

It is very difficult for chrysotile fibres be airborne or pose any health risk when mixed with cement. The fibre cement products are extensively used throughout the world particularly in buildings like hospitals and schools.

Research has proven that chrysotile is less likely to cause illness than amphibole asbestos compensation, such as amosite and crocidolite. Amphibole types like these are the main cause of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. When chrysotile mixes with cement, it creates a tough, flexible building product that is able to withstand severe weather conditions and other environmental hazards. 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 found in various types of rock formations. It is classified into six groups that include amphibole (serpentine) and tremolite (tremolite) anthophyllite (crocidolite) and anthophyllite.

asbestos attorney minerals comprise thin, long fibers that range in length from fine to wide. They can also be straight or curled. They are found in nature as bundles or individual fibrils. Asbestos minerals are also found in powder form (talc) or mixed with other minerals and sold as talcum powder and vermiculite, which have been widely used in consumer products, such as baby powder cosmetics, face powder and baby powder.

The largest use of asbestos was in the first two-thirds of twentieth century, when it was used in insulation, shipbuilding, fireproofing, and other construction materials. The majority of asbestos exposures for work were in the air, however some workers also were exposed to asbestos-bearing rock fragments and vermiculite that was contaminated. Exposures varied by industry, time period and geographical location.

Most of the asbestos exposures at work were due to inhalation, but certain workers were exposed through skin contact or through eating contaminated food. Asbestos is only found in the air due to natural weathering and degradation of contaminated products like ceiling and floor tiles automobile brakes and clutches, and insulation.

It is becoming increasingly apparent that amphibole fibers that are not commercially available could also be carcinogenic. These fibers aren't woven like the fibrils found in amphibole or serpentine, but are instead loose, flexible, asbestos case and needle-like. These fibres can be found in the mountains, sandstones and cliffs of many countries.

Asbestos gets into the environment primarily as airborne particles, but it also leaches into water and soil. This can be due to both natural (weathering of asbestos-bearing rocks) as well as anthropogenic sources (disintegration of asbestos-containing wastes as well as disposal in landfill sites). Asbestos contamination of surface and ground water is mostly due to natural weathering, but it has also been caused by human activities such as milling and mining demolition and dispersal of asbestos-containing materials as well as the disposal of contaminated dumping soils in landfills (ATSDR 2001). Asbestos fibres that are emitted from the air are the most significant cause of illness in people exposed to it in their occupation.

Crocidolite

Inhalation exposure is the most common method of exposure to asbestos fibres. These fibres can infiltrate the lung and cause serious health issues. These include asbestosis and mesothelioma. The exposure to asbestos can happen in other ways, too like contact with contaminated clothing, or building materials. The dangers of this kind of exposure are more pronounced when crocidolite (the asbestos in the blue form is involved. Crocidolite fibers are softer and less brittle, making them easier to breathe. They can also get deeper in lung tissue. It has been associated with more mesothelioma cancer cases than other asbestos types.

The six main types of asbestos are chrysotile amosite as well as epoxiemite. Tremolite is anthophyllite and actinolite. The most commonly used asbestos types are chrysotile and epoxiemite, which together make up 95% all commercial asbestos used. The other four have not been as extensively used however they can be present in older buildings. They are less dangerous than amosite and chrysotile, however they could pose a threat when combined with other asbestos case (greenandultimate.com.au) minerals, or when mined close to other mineral deposits, such as talc or vermiculite.

A number of studies have demonstrated an connection between exposure to asbestos and stomach cancer. A number of studies have confirmed that asbestos exposure is linked to stomach. However there is no conclusive evidence. Some researchers have reported an SMR (standardized mortality ratio) of 1.5 (95% range of CI: 0.7-3.6) for all asbestos-related workers as well as an SMR of 1.24 (95% C.I. 0.76-2.5) for workers working in chrysotile mining and mills.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classed all asbestos types as carcinogenic. All asbestos types can cause mesothelioma but the risk is different based on how much exposure is taken, what type of asbestos is involved and the length of time that exposure lasts. The IARC has recommended that the prevention of all asbestos types should be the highest priority, as this is the best option for people. If you have been exposed to asbestos and suffer from a respiratory illness or mesothelioma, you should seek advice from your physician or NHS111.

Amphibole

Amphiboles are a collection of minerals that may create prism-like or needle-like crystals. They are an inosilicate mineral composed 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 are made up of (Si,Al)O4 Tetrahedrons, which are connected in rings of six. The tetrahedrons are separated by strips of octahedral sites.

Amphibole minerals are common in metamorphic and igneous rocks. They are typically dark-colored and hard. Due to their similarity in strength and color, they can be difficult for some people to differentiate from the pyroxenes. They also share a similar the cleavage. Their chemistry allows for a variety of compositions. The chemical compositions and crystal structures of the different mineral groups in amphibole can be used to determine their composition.

The five types of asbestos in the amphibole class include chrysotile, anthophyllite, amosite and crocidolite. They also include actinolite. Each variety of asbestos has its own unique properties. The most hazardous type of asbestos, crocidolite, is composed of sharp fibers that are simple to inhale into the lung. Anthophyllite is yellowish to brown in color and is composed of iron and magnesium. This type of stone was once used in cement-based products and insulation materials.

Amphiboles are difficult to analyze due to their complicated chemical structure and the numerous substitutions. A thorough analysis of composition of amphibole minerals is a complex process that requires specialized techniques. EDS, WDS and XRD are the most widely used methods for identifying amphiboles. However, these methods only give approximate identifications. For instance, these techniques are unable to distinguish between magnesio-hastingsite from magnesio-hornblende. Furthermore, these techniques do not distinguish between ferro-hornblende and pargasite.