The Dangers of Exposure to Asbestos
Asbestos was used in a variety of commercial products prior to when it was banned. 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 contains asbestos. It is also impossible to taste or smell it. It is only found when asbestos-containing materials are drilled, chipped or broken.
Chrysotile
At its height, chrysotile provided for 95% of the asbestos created. It was widely used in industries like construction insulation, fireproofing, and insulation. If workers are exposed to asbestos, they are likely to develop mesothelioma along with other asbestos-related diseases. Fortunately, the use of this hazardous mineral has declined dramatically since mesothelioma awareness began to increase in the 1960's. It is still present in many of the products we use in the present.
Chrysotile is safe to use in the event that you have a complete safety and handling plan in place. People who handle chrysotile do not at risk of being exposed to a high degree of risk at the present limit of exposure. Lung cancer, lung fibrosis and mesothelioma have been strongly linked to breathing in airborne respirable fibres. This has been proven both for the intensity (dose) as well as duration of exposure.
A study that looked at a factory that used almost exclusively chrysotile for manufacturing friction materials compared the mortality rates of this factory with national death rates. The study concluded that, after 40 years of processing low levels of chrysotile, there was no significant rise in mortality in this factory.
Chrysotile fibres are typically shorter than other forms of asbestos. They are able to penetrate the lungs and enter the bloodstream. This makes them much more prone to cause negative effects than fibres with longer lengths.
It is extremely difficult for chrysotile fibrous to be in the air or pose a health risk when mixed with cement. Fibre cement products are widely used in various parts of the world including hospitals and schools.
Research has proven that amphibole asbestos, such as crocidolite or amosite is less likely to cause disease. Amphibole types like these are the main cause of mesothelioma, and other asbestos-related diseases. When chrysotile is combined with cement, it creates an extremely durable and flexible building product that is able to withstand severe weather conditions and other environmental dangers. It is also easy to clean after use. Professionals can safely get rid of asbestos fibres after they have been removed.
Amosite
Asbestos is a class of fibrous silicates found in various types of rock formations. It is divided into six groups including amphibole (serpentine) and the tremolite (tremolite) anthophyllite (crocidolite) and anthophyllite.
Asbestos minerals are composed of long, thin fibres that vary in length from very fine to wide and straight to curled. They are present in nature as individual fibrils, or as bundles with splaying ends called a fibril matrix. Asbestos can also be found in a powder form (talc) or combined with other minerals to form vermiculite or talcum powder. They are used extensively as consumer goods, such as baby powder cosmetics, and even face powder.
The heaviest asbestos use occurred during the first two-thirds period of the twentieth century, when it was used in insulation, shipbuilding, fireproofing, and other construction materials. Most occupational exposures were to airborne asbestos fibres, but certain workers were exposed to toxic talc or vermiculite as well as to fragments of asbestos-bearing rocks (ATSDR, 2001). Exposures varied according to industry, time and geographic location.
Asbestos exposure in the workplace is mainly caused by inhalation. However, some workers have been exposed through skin contact or eating food that is contaminated. Asbestos can be found in the air due to natural weathering of mined ores and the deterioration of products contaminated with asbestos like insulation, car brakes, clutches, as well as floor and ceiling tiles.
It is becoming clear that amphibole fibers that are not commercially available could also be carcinogenic. These are fibers that do not have the tight woven fibrils of the amphibole and serpentine minerals but instead are flexible, loose and needle-like. They can be found in mountain sandstones, cliffs and sandstones from a variety of nations.
Asbestos can be found in the environment in the form of airborne particles, however it can also be absorbed into water and soil. This can be caused by natural (weathering and erosion of asbestos-bearing rocks) and ananthropogenic (disintegration and removal of asbestos-containing wastes from landfill sites) sources. Asbestos contamination of surface and ground water is mostly due to natural weathering, but has also been caused by anthropogenic activities like milling and mining demolition and dispersal asbestos-containing materials and the disposal of contaminated dumping soils in landfills (ATSDR 2001). Asbestos fibres that are emitted from the air are the most significant reason for illness among those exposed to it in their occupation.
Crocidolite
Inhalation exposure is the most commonly used method of exposure to asbestos fibres. These fibres can infiltrate the lung and cause serious health issues. Mesothelioma, asbestosis and other illnesses can be caused by asbestos fibres. Exposure to fibres can occur in other ways as well, for example, contact with contaminated clothing or construction materials. The dangers of exposure are heightened when crocidolite, a blue form of asbestos is involved. Crocidolite is smaller and more fragile fibers that are easier to breathe in and may lodge deeper into lung tissue. It has been associated with more mesothelioma cancer cases than other types of asbestos.
The six primary types are chrysotile, amosite and chrysotile. The most commonly used asbestos types are chrysotile and epoxiemite, which together comprise 95% all commercial asbestos used. The other four types haven't been as popularly used however they can be found in older buildings. They are not as hazardous as amosite and chrysotile. However, they can pose a risk when mixed with other asbestos minerals or mined in close proximity to other mineral deposits, such as vermiculite or talc.
Numerous studies have revealed the connection between stomach cancer and asbestos exposure. However, the evidence is contradictory. Certain researchers have reported an overall SMR (standardized mortality ratio) of 1.5 (95 percent of the time CI: 0.7-3.6) for all asbestos-related workers while other studies have reported an SMR of 1.24 (95% C.I. 0.76-2.5) for those working in chrysotile mines and mills.
IARC the International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified all forms of asbestos as carcinogenic. All asbestos types can cause mesothelioma however the risks differ based on how much exposure, the type of asbestos is involved, and the length of time that exposure lasts. IARC has stated that the best choice for individuals is to stay clear of all types of asbestos. However, if a person has been exposed to asbestos in the past and suffer from an illness, such as mesothelioma or any other respiratory illnesses They should seek advice from their physician or NHS 111.
Amphibole
Amphiboles are groups of minerals that can form needle-like or prism-like crystals. They are a kind of inosilicate mineral that is composed of double chains of molecules of SiO4. They usually have a monoclinic structure in their crystals however some may have an orthorhombic structure. The general formula of an amphibole is A0-1B2C5T8O22(OH,F)2. The double chains consist of (Si,Al)O4 Tetrahedrons which are connected in rings of six. kentucky asbestos attorneys are distinguished from one another by strips of octahedral sites.
Amphibole minerals are found in metamorphic and igneous rocks. They are usually dark and hard. They can be difficult to differentiate from pyroxenes since they share similar hardness and color. They also share a corresponding design of cleavage. Their chemistry allows a wide variety of compositions. The chemical compositions and crystal structure of the various mineral groups in amphibole can be used to identify them.
Amphibole asbestos is comprised of chrysotile as well as the five asbestos types: amosite anthophyllite (crocidolite), amosite (actinolite) and amosite. Each kind of asbestos has its own distinctive properties. Crocidolite is the most dangerous asbestos kind. It contains sharp fibers that are easily inhaled into the lungs. Anthophyllite is a brownish to yellowish hue and is made primarily of magnesium and iron. This variety was used to make cement and insulation materials.
Amphibole minerals are hard to analyze because they have complex chemical structures and a variety of substitutions. A thorough analysis of composition of amphibole minerals requires specialized techniques. EDS, WDS and XRD are the most commonly used methods of identifying amphiboles. However, these methods only provide approximate identifications. For instance, they are unable to distinguish between magnesio-hastingsite from magnesio-hornblende. Moreover, these techniques do not distinguish between ferro-hornblende as well as pargasite.