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The Dangers of Exposure to Asbestos Asbestos was used in thousands of commercial products before it was banned. According research, exposure to asbestos can cause cancer and many other health issues. You can't tell if something contains asbestos simply by looking at it and you cannot smell or taste it. Asbestos can only be detected when the materials that contain it are broken, drilled, or chipped. Chrysotile At its peak, chrysotile made up 99% of asbestos production. It was widely used in industries which included construction insulation, fireproofing, and construction. If workers are exposed to asbestos, they may develop mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. Since the 1960s, when mesothelioma was first becoming an issue the use of asbestos has been drastically reduced. It is still found in many of the products we use in the present. Chrysotile is safe to use when you have a thorough safety and handling plan in place. It has been found that, at the present controlled exposure levels, there isn't an unneeded risk to the people working with it. The inhalation of airborne particles is strongly linked to lung cancer and lung fibrosis. This has been proven for both the intensity (dose) and time span of exposure. In one study mortality rates were compared among a factory which used almost exclusively Chrysotile for the production of friction materials and the national death rate. The study revealed that after 40 years of converting low levels of chrysotile, there was no significant rise in mortality at this factory. Contrary to other types of asbestos, chrysotile fibres tend to be smaller. They can penetrate the lungs, and enter 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 to be in the air or pose a health risk when mixed with cement. Fibre cement products are extensively used all over the world particularly in structures such as schools and hospitals. Research has proven that chrysotile is less likely to cause disease than amphibole asbestos, like crocidolite and amosite. Amphibole types like these are the primary cause of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. When chrysotile and cement are mixed, a durable and flexible material is created which is able to withstand the most extreme weather conditions and environmental hazards. It is also very easy to clean up after use. Asbestos fibres can easily be removed by a professional and safely removed. Amosite Asbestos refers to a set of silicate minerals with fibrous structure that occur naturally in certain types of rock formations. It consists of six general groups: amphibole, serpentine anthophyllite, tremolite, anthophyllite, crocidolite (IARC 1973). Asbestos minerals consist of thin, long fibers that range in length from fine to broad. They can also be curled or straight. They are present in nature as individual fibrils or bundles that have splaying ends, referred to as fibril matrix. Asbestos is also found in a powder form (talc), or combined with other minerals in order to create vermiculite or talcum powder. They are used extensively in consumer products including baby powder, cosmetics, and face powder. Asbestos was used extensively in the early two-thirds of the 20th century for shipbuilding insulation, fireproofing, insulation and various other construction materials. The majority of asbestos-related exposures in the workplace were in the air, but some workers were also exposed to asbestos-bearing rocks and vermiculite that was contaminated. Exposures varied according to the industry, time frame, and geographic location. Asbestos exposure in the workplace is mainly because of inhalation. However, some workers have been exposed through contact with skin or eating contaminated foods. Asbestos is found in the environment due to natural weathering and the degradation of contaminated products, such as ceiling and floor tiles cars, brakes and clutches, and insulation. There is growing evidence that non-commercial amphibole fibers could also be carcinogenic. These are fibers that don't form the tightly knit fibrils of the amphibole or serpentine minerals but instead are loose, flexible and needle-like. These fibers are found in the cliffs and mountains of several countries. Asbestos can be found in the environment as airborne particles, but it can also leach into soil and water. This can be due to both natural (weathering of asbestos-bearing rocks) and anthropogenic sources (disintegration of asbestos-containing wastes as well as disposal in landfill sites). Asbestos contamination in surface and ground waters is primarily caused by natural weathering. However it can also be caused by anthropogeny, such as by the milling and mining of asbestos-containing materials demolition and dispersal and the disposal of contaminated dumping material in landfills (ATSDR 2001). Exposure to asbestos-containing airborne fibres is still the primary cause of illness among people exposed to asbestos in the workplace. Crocidolite Inhalation exposure is the most popular method of exposure to asbestos fibres. These fibres can get into the lung which can cause serious health issues. Mesothelioma as well as asbestosis and other illnesses are caused by asbestos fibres. Exposure to fibres can occur in different ways too including contact with contaminated clothing or construction materials. This type of exposure is especially dangerous when crocidolite (the blue form of asbestos) is involved. Crocidolite fibers are thinner and more fragile which makes them more difficult to inhale. They can also be lodged deeper inside lung tissue. It has been linked to more mesothelioma cases than other types of asbestos. The six major types of asbestos are chrysotile amosite, epoxiemite, tremolite, anthophyllite and actinolite. The most well-known forms of asbestos are epoxiemite as well as chrysotile which together make up the majority of commercial asbestos employed. The other four types haven't been as widely utilized however they can be found in older buildings. They are less dangerous than amosite and chrysotile, but they could pose a threat when mixed with other asbestos minerals or when mined close to other naturally occurring mineral deposits, like vermiculite or talc. grand prairie asbestos attorney have discovered an association between exposure to asbestos and stomach cancer. The evidence is contradictory. Some researchers have cited an SMR (standardized death ratio) of 1.5 (95% confidence interval: 0.7-3.6), for all asbestos workers, while others report an SMR of 1,24 (95 percent confidence interval: 0.76-2.5), for those who work in chrysotile mines or chrysotile mills. IARC The IARC, also known as the International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified all kinds of asbestos as carcinogenic. All kinds of asbestos may cause mesothelioma and other health issues, however the risk is dependent on how much exposure individuals are exposed to, the kind of asbestos used, the duration of their exposure and the manner in which it is breathed in or consumed. The IARC has recommended that avoid all forms of asbestos is the most important thing to do because this is the most safe option for those who are exposed. However, if a person has been exposed to asbestos in the past and suffer from a disease such as mesothelioma and other respiratory illnesses, they should seek guidance from their doctor or NHS 111. Amphibole Amphibole is a group of minerals that form long prisms or needle-like crystals. They are a type of silicate mineral made up of two chains of SiO4 molecules. They have a monoclinic system of crystals, but some have an orthorhombic shape. 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 can be separated from one another by octahedral sites in strips. Amphibole minerals are prevalent in metamorphic and igneous rocks. They are typically dark and hard. They are sometimes difficult to distinguish from pyroxenes as they share similar hardness and color. They also have a similar the cleavage. However their chemistry permits the use of a variety of compositions. The chemical compositions and crystal structure of the different mineral groups found in amphibole may be used to identify them. The five types of asbestos in the amphibole class include chrysotile, anthophyllite, amosite as well as crocidolite and actinolite. While the most frequently used form of asbestos is chrysotile each type has distinct characteristics. Crocidolite is the most dangerous asbestos type. It contains sharp fibers that can be easily breathed into the lungs. Anthophyllite can be found in a brownish or yellowish hue and is comprised primarily of magnesium and iron. It was previously used in products like cement and insulation materials. Amphibole minerals are difficult to analyze due to their a complicated chemical structure and numerous substitutions. A thorough analysis of the composition of amphibole minerals requires special techniques. The most commonly used methods to identify amphiboles are EDS, WDS, and XRD. However, these methods only give approximate identifications. For instance, they are unable to distinguish between magnesio-hastingsite from magnesio-hornblende. Additionally, these techniques do not distinguish between ferro-hornblende or pargasite.