20 Myths About Asbestos Attorney: Busted

The Dangers of Exposure to asbestos legal, web page,

Before it was banned, asbestos was still used in a variety of commercial products. Studies have shown that exposure to asbestos can cause cancer and other health problems.

It is not possible to tell by simply looking at something if it's made of asbestos. You cannot smell or taste it. It is only found in the event that asbestos-containing products are drilled, chipped or broken.

Chrysotile

At its peak, chrysotile accounted for up 99% of the asbestos production. It was employed in a variety of industries including construction, insulation, and fireproofing. If workers are exposed to asbestos, they can develop mesothelioma and other asbestos-related illnesses. Since the 1960s, when mesothelioma became a major concern asbestos use has been drastically reduced. It is still found in many of the products we use today.

Chrysotile is safe to use provided you have a comprehensive safety and handling plan in place. Workers handling chrysotile are not at risk of being exposed to a high degree of risk at the present limits of exposure. Lung cancer, lung fibrosis and mesothelioma have all been found to be strongly linked to breathing airborne respirable fibres. This has been proven to be true for both intensity (dose) and time span of exposure.

One study that examined a factory that used almost exclusively chrysotile for manufacturing friction materials compared the mortality rates of this factory with national mortality rates. The study revealed that after 40 years of converting low levels of chrysotile there was no significant rise in mortality in this factory.

Chrysotile fibres tend to be shorter than other types of asbestos. They are able to enter the lungs and pass into the bloodstream. This makes them more prone to cause negative consequences than longer fibres.

When chrysotile gets mixed with cement, it is very difficult for the fibres to be airborne and pose health risks. Fibre cement products are widely used in many parts of the world including hospitals and schools.

Research has revealed that chrysotile's risk is lower to cause disease than amphibole asbestos like amosite and crocidolite. These amphibole types are the primary cause of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. When chrysotile gets mixed with cement, it creates an extremely durable and flexible building product that can withstand the most extreme conditions in the weather and other environmental dangers. It is also easy to clean after use. Asbestos fibres are easily removed by a professional and then safely disposed of.

Amosite

Asbestos is one of the groups of fibrous silicates that are found in various types of rock formations. It is composed of six general groups: amphibole, serpentine, tremolite, anthophyllite and crocidolite (IARC 1973).

Asbestos minerals are composed of long, thin fibers that range in length from extremely fine to broad and straight to curled. They are found in nature as individual fibrils or as bundles with splaying ends referred to as a fibril matrix. Asbestos minerals can also be found in powder form (talc) or mixed with other minerals and sold as talcum powder and vermiculite which are widely used in consumer products, such as baby powder cosmetics, face powder, and baby powder.

Asbestos was widely used during the early two-thirds of the 20th century to construct construction of ships insulation, fireproofing and various other construction materials. Most occupational exposures were asbestos fibres in the air, however some workers were exposed vermiculite or talc that was contaminated and to pieces of asbestos-bearing rocks (ATSDR 2001). Exposures varied by the industry, time frame and geographical location.

Exposure to asbestos in the workplace is usually due to inhalation. However there are workers who have been exposed through skin contact or eating contaminated foods. Asbestos can be found in the air due to natural weathering and degrading of contaminated materials, such as ceiling and floor tiles as well as car brakes and clutches, and insulation.

There is growing evidence that non-commercial amphibole fibres may also be carcinogenic. These fibers aren't weaved like the fibrils that are found in amphibole and serpentine they are loose as well as flexible and needle-like. These fibres can be found in mountain sandstones, cliffs and sandstones in a variety of countries.

Asbestos is able to enter the environment in a variety ways, including as airborne particles. It is also able to leach into water or soil. This can be caused by 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 water is typically a result of natural weathering, but it has also been caused by anthropogenic activities like mining and milling demolition and dispersal of asbestos-containing materials, and the removal of contaminated dumping ground in landfills (ATSDR 2001). Airborne asbestos fibres are the main reason for illness among those exposed to asbestos in their occupation.

Crocidolite

Inhalation exposure is the most frequent method of exposure to asbestos fibres. These fibres can get into the lung and cause serious health issues. Mesothelioma, asbestosis and other diseases are all caused by asbestos fibres. Exposure to fibers can occur in other ways as well, for example, contact with contaminated clothing or building materials. This kind of exposure is more dangerous when crocidolite (the blue form of asbestos) 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 a greater number of mesothelioma-related cancers than any other form of asbestos.

The six primary types are chrysotile as well as amosite. The most commonly used asbestos types are chrysotile and epoxiemite, which together comprise the majority of commercial asbestos lawyer employed. The other four asbestos types are not as common, but may still be found in older structures. They are not as hazardous as amosite and chrysotile, however they could pose a threat when combined with other asbestos minerals, or when mined in close proximity to other naturally occurring mineral deposits, such as vermiculite or talc.

Numerous studies have demonstrated that there is a link between stomach cancer and asbestos exposure. The evidence isn't conclusive. Certain researchers have reported an 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 workers working in chrysotile mining and mills.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified all forms of asbestos as carcinogenic. All kinds of asbestos may cause mesothelioma and other health issues, however the risks vary according to the amount of exposure that people are exposed to, the type of asbestos used, the duration of their exposure and the manner in which it is breathed in or consumed. IARC has declared that the best option for people is to stay clear of all types of asbestos. However, if people have been exposed to asbestos in the past and are suffering from a condition such as mesothelioma and other respiratory illnesses and require advice, they should seek out guidance from their physician or NHS 111.

Amphibole

Amphibole is one of the minerals that form long prisms or needle-like crystals. They are an inosilicate mineral made up of double chains of SiO4 molecules. They usually have a monoclinic crystal system however, some 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 rings of six tetrahedrons. The tetrahedrons can be separated by strips of octahedral site.

Amphiboles are found in metamorphic and igneous rock. They are typically dark-colored and are hard. They can be difficult to distinguish from pyroxenes since they share similar hardness and color. They also have a similar cleavage. However their chemistry permits the use of a variety of compositions. The different mineral groups within amphibole are identified by their chemical compositions and crystal structures.

The five types of asbestos in the amphibole class include amosite, anthophyllite and chrysotile as well as crocidolite and actinolite. While the most popular asbestos type is chrysotile. Each variety is unique in its own way. The most hazardous type of asbestos, crocidolite is composed of sharp fibers that are easy to breathe into the lung. Anthophyllite is a brownish to yellowish color and is made mostly of iron and magnesium. The variety was used previously in products such as cement and insulation materials.

Amphibole minerals are difficult to analyze because they have complex chemical structures and many substitutions. Therefore, a detailed analysis of their composition requires specialized techniques. EDS, WDS and XRD are the most common methods for identifying amphiboles. These methods are only able to provide approximate identifications. For instance, these techniques are unable to distinguish between magnesio-hastingsite from magnesio-hornblende. These techniques do not differentiate between ferro-hornblende or pargasite.