The Dangers of Exposure to Asbestos

Before it was banned, asbestos was widely used in commercial products. According research, exposure to asbestos can cause cancer and a host of other health issues.

You can't tell if something is asbestos-containing by looking at it and you cannot taste or smell it. Asbestos is only detectable when materials containing it are broken or drilled.

Chrysotile

At its height, chrysotile was responsible for 90% of the asbestos produced. It was widely used in industries like construction insulation, fireproofing, and insulation. In the event that workers were exposed to the toxic material, they could develop mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. Since the 1960s, when mesothelioma became a major concern asbestos use has been drastically reduced. However, trace amounts remain in products that we use today.

Chrysotile can be safely used if a thorough safety and handling plan is put into place. Workers handling chrysotile are not exposed to an unreasonable amount of risk based on the current limits of exposure. Inhaling airborne fibres 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 time of exposure.

One study that examined the operation of a factory that utilized almost all chrysotile as its friction materials, compared mortality rates in this facility with national mortality rates. It was concluded that for 40 years of processing asbestos chrysotile at a low level of exposure there was no significant increase in mortality in this particular factory.

Chrysotile fibres are usually shorter than other forms of asbestos. They can pass through the lungs and then enter the bloodstream. This makes them more likely to cause health consequences than longer fibres.

It is extremely difficult for chrysotile fibres be in the air or pose a health risk when mixed with cement. Fibre cement products are utilized in many areas of the world including hospitals and schools.

Research has shown that amphibole asbestos like amosite, crocidolite, or crocidolite, is less likely than chrysotile to cause disease. These amphibole varieties are the main cause of mesothelioma and other asbestos attorney-related diseases. When chrysotile is mixed in with cement, it creates a tough, flexible building product that is able to withstand severe conditions in the weather and other 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 is a category of fibrous silicates found in various types of rock formations. It is comprised of six main groups: serpentine, amphibole anthophyllite, tremolite and crocidolite (IARC 1973).

Asbestos minerals consist of thin, long fibres that vary in length from very fine to wide and straight to curled. They are found in nature as individual fibrils, or as bundles that have splaying ends, referred to as 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, such as baby powder, face powder and cosmetics.

The heaviest asbestos use was during the first two-thirds of the twentieth century in the period when it was employed in insulation, shipbuilding, fireproofing, and other construction materials. The majority of occupational exposures to asbestos fibres occurred in the air, however some workers were also exposed to asbestos-bearing rocks and contaminated vermiculite. Exposures varied by the industry, time frame and geographic location.

Asbestos exposure at work is mostly caused by inhalation. However certain workers have been exposed via skin contact or eating food that is contaminated. Asbestos is currently only found in the environment due to the natural weathering of mined minerals and deterioration of contaminated products like insulation, car brakes and clutches, as well as floor and ceiling tiles.

There is emerging evidence that amphibole fibers that are not commercially available could also be carcinogenic. These are fibers that are not the tightly woven fibrils of the serpentine and amphibole minerals, but instead are loose, flexible and needle-like. These fibres can be found in the mountain sandstones, cliffs and sandstones in a variety of countries.

asbestos Attorney enters the environment mainly in the form of airborne particles, however it can also be absorbed into water and soil. This occurs both from natural (weathering and erosion of asbestos-bearing rocks) and anthropogenic (disintegration and disposal of asbestos-containing wastes at landfill sites) sources. Asbestos contamination of surface and ground waters is primarily caused through natural weathering. However, it has also been caused by humans, such as through milling and mining of asbestos-containing materials demolition and dispersal and the disposal of contaminated waste in landfills (ATSDR 2001). Airborne asbestos fibres are the most significant cause of disease among those who are exposed to it during their job.

Crocidolite

Inhalation exposure to asbestos is the most frequent way people are exposed to harmful fibres. They can then get into the lungs and cause serious health problems. Mesothelioma and asbestosis as well as other diseases are caused by asbestos fibres. Exposure to the fibres can occur in different ways, including contact with contaminated clothing or building materials. The dangers of exposure are greater when crocidolite, a asbestos in the blue form is involved. Crocidolite has smaller, more fragile fibers that are easier to inhale and can lodge deeper in lung tissue. It has been linked to more mesothelioma cases than other types of asbestos.

The six main types are chrysotile and amosite. Amosite and chrysotile are the most commonly used types of asbestos and make up 95% of commercial asbestos that is used. The other four types of asbestos haven't been as widely utilized, but they may still be found in older buildings. They are less dangerous than chrysotile and amosite, but they can pose a risk when mixed with other asbestos minerals, or when mined close to other mineral deposits, such as talc or vermiculite.

Numerous studies have revealed an association between stomach cancer and asbestos exposure. The evidence is contradictory. Some researchers have cited an SMR (standardized mortality ratio) of 1.5 (95 percent CI: 0.7-3.6) for all workers exposed to asbestos and others have reported an SMR of 1.24 (95 percent C.I. 0.76-2.5) for workers working in chrysotile mining and mills.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified all asbestos types 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 how long exposure lasts. The IARC has recommended that avoiding all forms of asbestos is the most important thing to do as it is the most secure option for individuals. However, if people have been exposed to asbestos settlement in the past and suffer from an illness, such as mesothelioma, or other respiratory conditions They should seek advice from their GP or NHS 111.

Amphibole

Amphibole is one of the minerals that form long prism or needlelike crystals. They are a type of silicate mineral made up of two chains of molecules of SiO4. They usually have a monoclinic crystal structure but some also have an orthorhombic structure. The general formula of an amphibole is A0-1B2C5T8O22(OH,F)2. Double chains contain (Si, Al)O4 tetrahedrons linked together in a ring of six tetrahedrons. The tetrahedrons can be separated by strips of octahedral site.

Amphibole minerals can be found in metamorphic and igneous rocks. They are typically dark and hard. Because of their similar hardness and color, they may be difficult for some to distinguish from Pyroxenes. They also share a corresponding cleavage. Their chemistry can allow for a variety of compositions. The various mineral groups in amphibole can be identified by their chemical compositions as well as crystal structures.

Amphibole asbestos includes chrysotile and the five asbestos types amosite anthophyllite (crocidolite) amosite (actinolite) and amosite. While the most popular asbestos type is chrysotile. Each variety has distinct characteristics. Crocidolite is considered to be the most hazardous asbestos type. It has sharp fibers that can easily be breathed into the lungs. Anthophyllite is brown to yellowish in color and is made up of magnesium and iron. The variety was used previously in products such as cement and insulation materials.

Amphibole minerals are challenging to analyze because they have a an intricate chemical structure and a variety of substitutions. Therefore, a detailed analysis of their composition requires specialized methods. EDS, WDS and XRD are the most common methods of identifying amphiboles. However, these methods only provide approximate identifications. For instance, these methods cannot differentiate between magnesio-hastingsite and magnesio-hornblende. Additionally, these techniques do not distinguish between ferro-hornblende and pargasite.