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The Dangers of Exposure to Asbestos

Asbestos was found in thousands of commercial products prior to when it was banned. According research, exposure to asbestos can cause cancer and a host of other health problems.

You cannot tell if something contains asbestos lawsuit by looking at it, and you can't smell or taste it. Asbestos is only detectable when the substances that contain it are broken, drilled, or chipped.

Chrysotile

At its peak, chrysotile accounted for 99% of the asbestos that was produced. It was used in many industries like construction insulation, fireproofing, and insulation. However, if workers were exposed for long periods to this toxic material, they could contract mesothelioma as well as other asbestos related diseases. Since the 1960s, when mesothelioma first became a concern asbestos use has declined significantly. However, trace amounts of it remain in the products we use today.

Chrysotile is safe to use if you have a comprehensive safety and handling program in place. Personnel handling chrysotile aren't exposed to an unreasonable amount of risk based on the current limits of exposure. Lung cancer, lung fibrosis and mesothelioma are all linked to breathing airborne respirable fibres. This has been proven to be true for both the intensity (dose) and time span of exposure.

One study that looked into a factory that used almost exclusively chrysotile to manufacture friction materials, compared mortality rates in this facility with national mortality rates. It was found that, for 40 years of preparing asbestos chrysotile at low levels of exposure there was no significant additional mortality in this factory.

In contrast to other forms of asbestos, chrysotile fibres tend to be shorter. They can pass through the lungs and then enter the bloodstream. This makes them more prone to causing health effects than longer fibres.

When chrysotile mixes with cement, it's extremely difficult for the fibres to air-borne and pose any health risk. Fibre cement products are extensively used in various parts of the world, including schools and hospitals.

Studies have shown that chrysotile is less likely to cause disease than amphibole asbestos, such as amosite and crocidolite. These amphibole types have been the most common source of mesothelioma, as well as other asbestos-related diseases. When chrysotile mixes with cement, it creates a strong, flexible building product that is able to withstand severe weather conditions and other environmental hazards. It is also easy to clean after use. Asbestos fibers can be easily removed by a professional and safely taken away.

Amosite

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

Asbestos minerals comprise thin, long fibers that vary in length from fine to wide. They can be curled or straight. These fibres are found in nature in the form of individual fibrils or bundles with splaying ends referred to as a fibril matrix. Asbestos is also found in a powder form (talc) or mixed with other minerals to form talcum powder or vermiculite. They are extensively used as consumer goods, such as baby powder cosmetics, and face powder.

The greatest asbestos use was during the first two-thirds of twentieth century where it was used in shipbuilding, insulation, fireproofing, and other construction materials. The majority of occupational exposures involved asbestos fibres in the air, however some workers were exposed to toxic talc or vermiculite as well as to fragments of asbestos-bearing rock (ATSDR, 2001). Exposures varied from industry to industry, from era to and even geographical location.

The majority of asbestos-related exposures in the workplace were because of inhalation, but certain workers were exposed via skin contact or through eating contaminated food. Asbestos is currently only found in the environment from the natural weathering of mined minerals and deterioration of contaminated products like insulation, car brakes and clutches as well as ceiling and floor tiles.

It is becoming clear that non-commercial amphibole fibres may also be carcinogenic. These fibers aren't tightly weaved like the fibrils that are found in serpentine and amphibole, they are loose elastic, flexible, and needle-like. They can be found in the mountains, sandstones, and cliffs in a variety of countries.

Asbestos can be absorbed into the environment in many ways, including through airborne particles. It can also leach out into water or soil. This occurs both from natural (weathering and erosion of asbestos-bearing rocks) and ananthropogenic (disintegration and disposal of asbestos-containing wastes in landfill sites) sources. Asbestos contamination in ground and surface waters is primarily due to natural weathering. However, it has also been caused anthropogenically, such as through milling and mining of asbestos settlement-containing materials demolition and dispersal and the disposal of contaminated dumping material in landfills (ATSDR 2001). The inhalation of asbestos fibers is the primary cause of illness among people exposed to it occupationally.

Crocidolite

Inhalation exposure is the most commonly used method of exposure to asbestos fibres. These fibres can get into the lungs and cause serious health issues. These include mesothelioma and asbestosis. Exposure to asbestos fibres can be triggered in other ways, such as contact with contaminated clothing or building materials. The dangers of exposure are greater when crocidolite which is the asbestos that is blue, is involved. Crocidolite has smaller, more fragile fibers that are easy to breathe and can be lodged deeper into lung tissue. It has been linked to a higher number of mesothelioma-related cases than any other form of asbestos.

The main types are chrysotile as well as amosite. The most well-known asbestos types 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 hazardous than amosite or chrysotile, but they can still be a risk when combined with other minerals or when mined close to other mineral deposits like talc and vermiculite.

Numerous studies have revealed an association between stomach cancer and asbestos exposure. However, the evidence is contradictory. Some researchers have cited a SMR (standardized death ratio) of 1.5 (95 percent confidence interval: 0.7-3.6), for all asbestos workers. However, others report an SMR of 1,24 (95% confidence interval: 0.76-2.5), for workers in chrysotile mines and mills.

IARC The IARC, also known as the International Agency for Research on Cancer, has classified all forms of asbestos as carcinogenic. All forms of asbestos could cause mesothelioma as well as other health issues, although the risk is dependent on how much exposure people are exposed to, the kind of asbestos used as well as the length of their exposure and the method by which it is breathed in or ingested. IARC has stated that the best choice for people is to stay clear of all types of asbestos. If someone has been exposed to asbestos in the past and suffer from an illness such as mesothelioma or other respiratory conditions, they should seek guidance from their physician or NHS 111.

Amphibole

Amphibole is a class of minerals that form long prism or needle-like crystals. They are an inosilicate mineral made up of double chains of SiO4 molecules. They have a monoclinic arrangement of crystals, however certain crystals have an orthorhombic form. The general formula of an amphibole is A0-1B2C5T8O22(OH,F)2. The double chains are composed of (Si,Al)O4 Tetrahedrons, which are connected in rings of six. Tetrahedrons may be separated by strips of octahedral site.

Amphiboles are found in both igneous and metamorphic rock. They are usually dark 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 corresponding Cleavage. However, their chemistry allows for the use of a variety of compositions. The chemical compositions and crystal structure of the different mineral groups in amphibole could be used to determine their composition.

The five asbestos types belonging to the amphibole family are chrysotile, anthophyllite, amosite as well as crocidolite and actinolite. While the most frequently used asbestos type is chrysotile; each has its own unique characteristics. Crocidolite is the most dangerous asbestos type. It contains sharp fibers that are easily inhaled into the lung. Anthophyllite is yellowish to brown in color and is composed of magnesium and iron. It was previously used in cement and insulation materials.

Amphibole minerals are challenging to analyze because they have a complicated chemical structure and a variety of substitutions. Therefore, a thorough analysis of their composition requires specialized techniques. The most popular methods to identify amphiboles are EDS, WDS, and XRD. However, these methods only provide approximate identifications. For instance, these methods cannot differentiate between magnesio-hastingsite and magnesio-hornblende. These techniques also cannot distinguish between ferro-hornblende as well as pargasite.