The Dangers of Exposure to Asbestos
Before it was banned, asbestos was used in a myriad of commercial products. According to research, exposure to asbestos can cause cancer, as well as other health problems.
It is difficult to tell by looking at something whether it is made of asbestos. Neither can you taste or smell it. It is only visible when materials containing asbestos are chipped, drilled or broken.
Chrysotile
At its peak, chrysotile accounted for 99percent of the asbestos produced. It was widely used in industries like construction, insulation, and fireproofing. If workers are exposed to asbestos, they could develop mesothelioma as well as other asbestos-related illnesses. Since the 1960s, when mesothelioma first became a problem asbestos use has been drastically reduced. 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. Workers handling chrysotile are not exposed to a significant amount of risk based on the current safe exposure levels. Lung cancer, lung fibrosis and mesothelioma are all associated with breathing in airborne respirable fibres. This has been confirmed both for the intensity (dose) as in the time of exposure.
In one study, mortality rates were compared between a manufacturing facility that primarily used Chrysotile for the production of friction materials and the national death rate. It was found that over the course of 40 years, processing asbestos chrysotile at 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 are able to enter the lungs and enter the bloodstream. This makes them much more prone to cause negative effects than longer fibres.
It is very difficult for chrysotile fibers to be a threat to the air or pose any health risk when mixed with cement. Fibre cement products are extensively used all over the world particularly in buildings such as schools and hospitals.
Research has proven that chrysotile has a lower chance to cause disease than amphibole asbestos, such as amosite and crocidolite. Amphibole types like these are the main cause of mesothelioma, and other asbestos-related diseases. When cement and chrysotile mix with cement, a tough and flexible product is created that can withstand extreme weather conditions and environmental hazards. It is also simple to clean after use. Professionals can safely get rid of asbestos fibres after they have been removed.
Amosite
Asbestos refers to a group of silicate minerals with fibrous structure which are found naturally in a variety of types of rock formations. It is composed of six general groups: serpentine, amphibole as well as tremolite, anthophyllite, and crocidolite (IARC 1973).
Asbestos minerals are composed of thin, long fibers that range in length from fine to wide. They can also be straight or curled. These fibres are found in nature in the form of individual fibrils or bundles that have splaying ends, referred to as a fibril matrix. Asbestos can also be found in a powder form (talc), or combined with other minerals to create vermiculite or talcum powder. These are widely used as consumer products, such as baby powder cosmetics and facial powder.
Asbestos was used extensively in the first two thirds of the 20th century for shipbuilding insulation, fireproofing and various other construction materials. The majority of asbestos-containing exposures to the workplace were in the air, but some workers were also exposed to asbestos-bearing rock fragments and contaminated vermiculite. Exposures varied by the type of industry, the time period and geographic location.
Asbestos exposure in the workplace is mainly because of inhalation. However there have been instances of workers being exposed via skin contact or eating contaminated foods. Asbestos is only found in the environment because of natural weathering and degradation of contaminated products like ceiling and floor tiles, car brakes and clutches as well as insulation.
It is becoming clear that amphibole fibers that are not commercially available could also be carcinogenic. These are fibers that do not form the tightly interwoven fibrils that are found in the serpentine and amphibole minerals, but instead are flexible, loose and needle-like. These fibres are found in the cliffs and mountains from a variety of countries.
Asbestos can be absorbed into the environment in a variety of ways, including through airborne particles. It can also be released into water or soil. This occurs both from natural (weathering and erosion of asbestos-bearing rocks) and the anthropogenic (disintegration and disposal of asbestos-containing wastes at landfill sites) sources. Asbestos contamination of ground and surface water is mostly due to natural weathering, however it has also been triggered by anthropogenic activities such as milling and mining, demolition and dispersal of asbestos-containing materials as well as the disposal of contaminated dumping soil in landfills (ATSDR, 2001). Asbestos fibres that are emitted from the air are the most significant cause of disease among those exposed to asbestos during their work.
Crocidolite
Inhalation exposure is the most popular method of exposure to asbestos fibres. The fibres can penetrate the lung, causing serious health problems. This includes asbestosis and mesothelioma. Exposure to fibers can occur in other ways, too, such as 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 less dense and more fragile and therefore easier to breathe in. They can also get deeper within lung tissue. It has been linked to a higher number of mesothelioma-related cancers than any other form of asbestos.
The six main types of asbestos are chrysotile amosite, epoxiemite, tremolite anthophyllite and actinolite. The most common forms of asbestos are epoxiemite and chrysotile, which together comprise 95% all commercial asbestos used. The other four asbestos types are not as prevalent, but could still be found in older structures. They are less harmful than amosite and chrysotile, however they could pose a threat when combined with other asbestos minerals or mined in close proximity to other naturally occurring mineral deposits, such as vermiculite or talc.
A number of studies have demonstrated an connection between asbestos exposure and stomach cancer. Numerous studies have shown a link between asbestos exposure and stomach. The evidence isn't conclusive. Certain researchers have reported an SMR (standardized mortality ratio) of 1.5 (95% range of CI: 0.7-3.6) for all asbestos-related workers, while others have reported an SMR of 1.24 (95% C.I. 0.76-2.5) for workers working in chrysotile mining and mills.
IARC the International Agency for Research on Cancer, has classified all types of asbestos as carcinogenic. All asbestos types can cause mesothelioma, however, the risk is dependent on the amount of exposure, the type of asbestos is involved and the length of time that exposure lasts. The IARC has recommended that abstaining from all asbestos forms should be the highest priority as it is the most safe option for those who are exposed. However, if people have been exposed to asbestos in the past and are suffering from a disease such as mesothelioma and other respiratory ailments, they should seek guidance from their physician or NHS 111.
Amphibole
Amphibole is a class of minerals that form long prisms or needle-like crystals. They are a type of inosilicate mineral that is composed of two 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 are composed of (Si, Al)O4 tetrahedrons linked together in a series of six tetrahedrons. The tetrahedrons can be separated from each other by octahedral sites that are surrounded by strips.
Amphiboles are found in metamorphic and igneous rock. They are usually dark-colored and tough. Due to their similarity in hardness and color, they could be difficult for some to distinguish from the pyroxenes. They also share a similar cleavage pattern. However their chemistry allows an array of compositions. beaverton asbestos attorneys within amphibole can be identified by their chemical compositions as well as crystal structures.
Amphibole asbestos includes chrysotile and the five types of asbestos: amosite, anthophyllite (crocidolite), amosite (actinolite), and amosite. While the most frequently used form of asbestos is chrysotile, each variety has distinct characteristics. Crocidolite is considered to be the most hazardous asbestos type. It has sharp fibers which are easily inhaled into the lungs. Anthophyllite can be found in a brownish or yellowish hue and is comprised mostly of iron and magnesium. The variety was used previously in cement and insulation materials.
Amphibole minerals are hard to analyze due to their an intricate chemical structure and a variety of substitutions. A detailed analysis of the composition of amphibole minerals is a complex process that requires specialized techniques. The most common methods for identifying amphiboles are EDS, WDS, and XRD. However, these methods can only provide approximate identifications. For instance, these techniques cannot distinguish between magnesiohastingsite and magnesio-hornblende. Furthermore, these techniques do not distinguish between ferro-hornblende and pargasite.