10 Apps To Help You Control Your Asbestos Attorney

The Dangers of Exposure to Asbestos

Asbestos was a component 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.

It is impossible to determine if a product is asbestos-containing by looking at it and you can't smell or taste it. It is only found when the asbestos-containing materials are drilled, chipped or broken.

Chrysotile

At its peak, chrysotile accounted for 90% of the asbestos that was produced. It was employed in many industries, including construction insulation, fireproofing and insulation. If workers are exposed to asbestos, they could develop mesothelioma along with other asbestos-related illnesses. Since the 1960s, when mesothelioma was first becoming an issue, the use of asbestos has been drastically reduced. It is still found in a variety of products we use in the present.

Chrysotile is safe to use provided you have a comprehensive safety and handling program in place. It has been found that at the current controlled exposure levels, there isn't an unneeded risk to the people handling it. Lung fibrosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma were all associated with breathing in airborne respirable fibres. This has been proven to be true for both the intensity (dose) and time of exposure.

One study that looked into an industrial facility that used almost exclusively chrysotile to manufacture friction materials, compared the mortality rates of this factory with national death rates. The study found that after 40 years of manufacturing low levels of chrysotile there was no significant increase in mortality in this factory.

Unlike some other forms of asbestos, chrysotile fibres tend to be smaller. They can pass through the lungs and then enter the bloodstream. This makes them more likely to cause ill-health effects than fibrils with a longer length.

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

Studies have shown that chrysotile is less prone to cause disease than amphibole asbestos like amosite and crocidolite. These amphibole varieties are the main cause of mesothelioma, and other asbestos-related diseases. When the cement and chrysotile are combined, a durable and flexible product is created which is able to withstand the most extreme environmental hazards and weather conditions.  boulder asbestos lawsuit  is also easy to clean after use. Asbestos fibres are easily removed by a professional and then safely removed.

Amosite

Asbestos refers to a set of silicate fibrous minerals that occur naturally in certain kinds of rock formations. It consists of six general groups: serpentine, amphibole, tremolite, anthophyllite and crocidolite (IARC 1973).

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

Asbestos was extensively used in the early two-thirds of the 20th century to construct shipbuilding insulation, fireproofing and other construction materials. The majority of asbestos-related exposures in the workplace were in the air, but some workers also were exposed to asbestos-bearing rock fragments and vermiculite that was contaminated. Exposures varied from industry industry, era to, and geographical location.

Most occupational exposures to asbestos were due to inhalation, but certain workers were exposed through skin contact or through eating contaminated food. Asbestos is only present in the the natural weathering of mined ore and the degrading of contaminated materials like insulation, car brakes, clutches as well as ceiling and floor tiles.

There is evidence emerging that non-commercial amphibole fibres may also be carcinogenic. These are fibres that do not have the tight weaved fibrils of amphibole and serpentine 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 many ways, including as airborne particles. It can also leach out into water or soil. This can be triggered by both natural (weathering of asbestos-bearing rock) and anthropogenic causes (disintegration of asbestos-containing wastes and disposal in landfill sites). Asbestos contamination of ground and surface water is typically a result of natural weathering, but has also been caused by human activities such as mining and milling demolition and dispersal of asbestos-containing materials and the disposal of contaminated dumping soil in landfills (ATSDR, 2001). Asbestos fibres that are emitted from the air are the main reason for illness among those exposed to asbestos during their work.

Crocidolite

Inhalation exposure to asbestos is the most common way people are exposed to dangerous fibres, which can be absorbed into the lungs and cause serious health problems. This includes asbestosis and mesothelioma. Exposure to asbestos fibres can be triggered in other ways, such as contact with contaminated clothes or building materials. This type of exposure is more hazardous when crocidolite (the blue asbestos form) is involved. Crocidolite has smaller, more fragile fibers that are easier to breathe and can be lodged deeper in 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. Amosite and chrysotile are two of the most frequently used types of asbestos and make up 95% of the commercial asbestos in use. The other four types haven't been as extensively used however they can be found in older buildings. They are less harmful than amosite and chrysotile. However, they could be a risk when combined with other asbestos minerals, or when mined close to other naturally occurring mineral deposits, like talc or vermiculite.

Numerous studies have shown that there is a link between stomach cancer and asbestos exposure. However the evidence is not conclusive. Some researchers have cited a SMR (standardized death ratio) of 1.5 (95 percent confidence interval: 0.7-3.6), for all asbestos workers, while others report an SMR of 1,24 (95% confidence interval: 0.76-2.5), for workers in chrysotile mills and mines.

IARC the International Agency for Research on Cancer, has classified all forms of asbestos as carcinogenic. All asbestos types can cause mesothelioma but the risk is different based on the amount of exposure, the type of asbestos is involved, and how long the exposure lasts. IARC has stated that the best option for individuals is to stay clear of all types of asbestos. However, if someone has been exposed to asbestos in the past and are suffering from a condition such as mesothelioma, or other respiratory illnesses it is recommended that they seek advice from their doctor or NHS 111.

Amphibole

Amphibole is a group of minerals that form long prism or needle-like crystals. They are a kind of inosilicate mineral made up of double chains of SiO4 molecules. They are a monoclinic system of crystals, however certain crystals have an orthorhombic form. The general formula of an amphibole is A0-1B2C5T8O22(OH,F)2. Double chains contain (Si, Al)O4 tetrahedrons linked together in a series of six tetrahedrons. The tetrahedrons can be separated from one another with octahedral strips.

Amphibole minerals are common in metamorphic and igneous rocks. They are usually dark-colored and are hard. Due to their similarity in strength and color, they may be difficult for some to differentiate from the pyroxenes. They also share a corresponding design of cleavage. However, their chemistry allows for many different compositions. The chemical compositions and crystal structure of the various minerals in amphibole can be used to determine their composition.

The five asbestos types in the amphibole class include amosite, anthophyllite and crocidolite. They also include actinolite. Each kind of asbestos has its own distinctive properties. Crocidolite is the most hazardous asbestos kind. It is composed of sharp fibers that can easily be breathed into the lung. Anthophyllite is a brownish to yellowish hue and is made primarily of magnesium and iron. The variety was used previously in products such as cement and insulation materials.

Amphiboles are a challenge to analyze because of their complex chemical structure and numerous substitutions. A thorough analysis of the composition of amphibole minerals requires special techniques. The most popular methods for identifying amphiboles are EDS, WDS, and XRD. However, these methods can only give approximate identifications. These techniques, for example can't distinguish between magnesio-hornblende and hastingsite. Furthermore, these techniques do not distinguish between ferro-hornblende and pargasite.