Asbestos is a classification of silicate minerals that are used mainly for commercial purposes. There are a few essential things to know about asbestos. They are typically used amongst manufacturers and building companies because of their flexibility, high mean tensile strength, ability to absorb sound and its strong resistance to heat, electrical and chemical damage. They are also usually compounded with cement for construction purposes of woven into the fabrics of many household items.
Two main groups of the mineral are the amphibole and the serpentine classes of asbestos. The key distinction between the two are in their chemical compositions and their degree of potency as a health hazard when inhaled by humans.
Most asbestos fibers have dimensions ranging from 3.0-20.0 micrometers in width and may be slimmer than 0.01 micrometers. Hence, they cannot be observed by the human eye. When the crystal lattices of asbestos minerals and broken by large forces, they disintegrate into much smaller fibers. Continuing to do this will eventually reduce the fibers to even smaller fragments for them to be easily introduced into the human respiratory system.
Most commercial forms of the mineral however are human carcinogens and therefore extreme precaution should be taken while handling them. Two of the most common and lethal chemical forms of the mineral are Amosite and Crocidolite because they are able to persist in the lungs of exposed people for an extended period of time. Other forms of asbestos have produced other health hazards as well.
Chrysolite has been known to produce tumors in many people and even animals while sometimes even causing them to develop Mesotheliomas, a particularly rare and malignant form of cancer that develops from the protective lining that covers most of the body's internal organs.
Common victims to asbestos-poisoning are factory or mine workers as they are constantly exposed to the mineral on a daily basis when handling the minerals. As such, they are likely to inhale concentrated forms of fibers over an extended period of time. However, diseases are not likely to develop from long, low-level or brief, high-level exposures of the mineral.
There are some important things to know about control measures. The United States Environmental Protection Agency has passed a law stating that consumer products can still legally contain small amounts of the mineral. Other measures have also been put in place by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. It has set the limit of 100,000 fibers with lengths equal to or shorter than 5 micrometers per cubic meter of workplace air for a typical eight-hour shift.
asbestos
Two main groups of the mineral are the amphibole and the serpentine classes of asbestos. The key distinction between the two are in their chemical compositions and their degree of potency as a health hazard when inhaled by humans.
Most asbestos fibers have dimensions ranging from 3.0-20.0 micrometers in width and may be slimmer than 0.01 micrometers. Hence, they cannot be observed by the human eye. When the crystal lattices of asbestos minerals and broken by large forces, they disintegrate into much smaller fibers. Continuing to do this will eventually reduce the fibers to even smaller fragments for them to be easily introduced into the human respiratory system.
Most commercial forms of the mineral however are human carcinogens and therefore extreme precaution should be taken while handling them. Two of the most common and lethal chemical forms of the mineral are Amosite and Crocidolite because they are able to persist in the lungs of exposed people for an extended period of time. Other forms of asbestos have produced other health hazards as well.
Chrysolite has been known to produce tumors in many people and even animals while sometimes even causing them to develop Mesotheliomas, a particularly rare and malignant form of cancer that develops from the protective lining that covers most of the body's internal organs.
Common victims to asbestos-poisoning are factory or mine workers as they are constantly exposed to the mineral on a daily basis when handling the minerals. As such, they are likely to inhale concentrated forms of fibers over an extended period of time. However, diseases are not likely to develop from long, low-level or brief, high-level exposures of the mineral.
There are some important things to know about control measures. The United States Environmental Protection Agency has passed a law stating that consumer products can still legally contain small amounts of the mineral. Other measures have also been put in place by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. It has set the limit of 100,000 fibers with lengths equal to or shorter than 5 micrometers per cubic meter of workplace air for a typical eight-hour shift.
asbestos
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