The Dangers of Exposure to Asbestos
Asbestos was found in thousands of commercial products prior to when it was banned. Research suggests that exposure to asbestos can cause cancer as well as other health issues.
You cannot tell by just looking at something whether it's made of
asbestos Attorney. You cannot taste or smell it. Asbestos can only be detected when the material containing it is broken or drilled.
Chrysotile
At the height of its use, chrysotile made up 99% of the asbestos produced. It was widely used in industries, including construction insulation, fireproofing, and construction. If workers are exposed to asbestos, they can develop mesothelioma or other asbestos-related illnesses. Fortunately, the use of this hazardous mineral has declined significantly since mesothelioma awareness began to spread in the 1960's. It is still found in many of the products we use today.
Chrysotile can be used safely if a thorough safety and handling plan is put in place. It has been determined that, at the present controlled exposure levels, there is no danger to the people handling the substance. Inhaling airborne fibers has been linked with lung fibrosis and lung cancer. This has been proven both for intensity (dose) as in the time of exposure.
A study that looked at a facility that used nearly exclusively chrysotile in the production of friction materials, compared mortality rates at this factory with national mortality rates. The study concluded that, after 40 years of converting low levels of chrysotile there was no significant increase in mortality in this factory.
Chrysotile fibers are generally shorter than other types of
asbestos legal. They are able to enter the lungs and pass into the bloodstream. This makes them much more likely to cause 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. Fibre cement products are extensively used in many parts of the world including hospitals and schools.
Research has proven that chrysotile has a lower chance to cause disease than amphibole asbestos, like amosite and crocidolite. Amphibole asbestos types have been the primary cause of mesothelioma as well as other asbestos-related diseases. When chrysotile mixes with cement, it creates a strong, flexible building product that can withstand extreme weather conditions and other environmental dangers. It is also very easy to clean after use. Professionals can safely eliminate asbestos fibres when they have been removed.
Amosite
Asbestos is a category of fibrous silicates that are found in certain types of rock formations. It is classified into six groups which include amphibole (serpentine), the tremolite (tremolite), anthophyllite (crocidolite) and anthophyllite.
Asbestos minerals are made up of thin, long fibers that vary in length from fine to wide. They can also be curled or straight. These fibers are found in nature as individual fibrils, or as bundles with splaying ends called a fibril matrix. Asbestos can also be found in powder form (talc), or combined with other minerals to form talcum powder or vermiculite. These are commonly used in consumer products like baby powder, cosmetics and face powder.
Asbestos was heavily used in the early two-thirds of the 20th century to construct shipbuilding as well as insulation, fireproofing and other construction materials. The majority of occupational exposures involved airborne asbestos fibres, but some workers were exposed to toxic talc or vermiculite and also to fragments of asbestos-bearing rocks (ATSDR, 2001). Exposures varied according to the type of industry,
asbestos attorney the time period and geographic location.
Most asbestos exposures that workers were exposed to was due to inhalation. However, some workers were also exposed via skin contact or through eating contaminated food. Asbestos is currently only found in the environment from natural weathering of mined ores and deterioration of contaminated products like insulation, car brakes and clutches and ceiling and floor tiles.
It is becoming evident that amphibole fibers that are not commercially available could also be carcinogenic. These are the fibres that don't form the tightly weaved fibrils of amphibole and serpentine minerals but instead are loose, flexible and needle-like. These fibers can be found in the cliffs and mountains from a variety of countries.
Asbestos gets into the environment primarily as airborne particles, but it can also leach into water and soil. This is a result of both natural (weathering and erosion of asbestos-bearing rocks) and ananthropogenic (disintegration and disposal of asbestos-containing materials in landfill sites) sources. Asbestos contamination in ground and surface waters is primarily caused through natural weathering. However, it has also been caused by anthropogeny, such as through mining and milling of asbestos-containing materials, demolition and dispersal, and the disposal of contaminated dumping materials in landfills (ATSDR 2001). Airborne asbestos fibres are the primary cause of illness in people exposed to asbestos in their job.
Crocidolite
Inhalation exposure is the most popular method of exposure to asbestos fibres. These fibres can infiltrate the lung which can cause serious health issues. These include mesothelioma and asbestosis. Exposure to the fibres can be experienced in other ways, like contact with contaminated clothing or building materials. This type of exposure is particularly dangerous when crocidolite (the blue form of asbestos) is involved. Crocidolite is smaller and more fragile fibers that are more easy to breathe in and may lodge deeper in lung tissue. It has been linked to a larger number of mesothelioma-related cancers than any other type of asbestos.
The six main types are chrysotile, amosite and chrysotile. The most popular forms of asbestos are epoxiemite and chrysotile, which together make up 95% all commercial asbestos employed. The other four asbestos types are not as prevalent, but could still be found in older structures. They are not as dangerous as amosite or chrysotile but still be dangerous when mixed with other minerals, or when mined close to other mineral deposits, such as talc and vermiculite.
Numerous studies have shown the connection between stomach cancer and
Asbestos Attorney asbestos exposure. However, the evidence is contradictory. Some researchers have cited an overall SMR (standardized mortality ratio) of 1.5 (95 percent 95% confidence interval: 0.7-3.6) for all asbestos-related workers, while others have reported an SMR of 1.24 (95% CI: 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 how much exposure, what type of asbestos is involved and how long exposure lasts. The IARC has recommended that avoid all forms of asbestos is the best option since this is the best option for individuals. However, if a person has been exposed to asbestos in the past and are suffering from a condition such as mesothelioma, or other respiratory diseases, they should seek guidance from their GP or NHS 111.
Amphibole
Amphibole is a group of minerals that form long prism or needle-like crystals. They are a type of inosilicate mineral made up of double chains of SiO4 molecules. They usually have a monoclinic structure in their crystals but some also 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, which are connected in rings of six. The tetrahedrons are separated from one another by octahedral sites in strips.