What is Asbestos?

Asbestos is a group of microscopic natural minerals, fibrous in structure, that are naturally fire resistant and flexible.

Asbestos is more resistant to acid and fire than any other material. These qualities were used widely several years ago in applications across both domestic and industrial environments, such as;

• Pipe and building insulation,
• Roofing,
• Carpet underlay,
• Ceilings,
• Wall and floor tiles
• Patching compounds
• Vehicle brake pads
• Ironing board pads
• Electrical wiring
• Textured paints
• Cements

It was also used in numerous industries for thermal insulation, fire proofing, electrical insulation, building materials and brake linings.

Asbestos takes two forms, Serpentine and Amphibole, made of impure magnesium silicate, both exhibiting physical and chemical resistance to high temperatures and applied force.

Asbestos Physical Structure

Physical characteristics differentiate the serpentine and amphibole forms

Serpentines are like man-made wool in appearance, and divide into curly, wavy fibres that show little resistance to being bent or spiralled.

Amphibole fibres look like man-made fibreglass - needle-like shards that show great resistance to being bent or curled.

In addition to the two forms, there are three main types of asbestos;

• Chrysotile (serpentine) is the chief commercial asbestos today.
• Amosite (amphibole) is used in insulating materials.
• Crocidolite (amphibole) is used for making asbestos-cement products.

Strands

Asbestos' raw ore will initially divide (or split) into visible strands, fibre bundles, and individual fibres. As disturbance occurs and increases, they continue to split, and can reach microscopic levels. This process is unique to asbestos.

Eventually, the fibres can become so small that they can pass undetected by the respiratory dust defences.

Asbestos-based products usually contain other materials that prevent the Asbestos particles from being released into the air. However, when these materials become damaged, the danger becomes very real.

Dangerous

Asbestos is a potent carcinogen (a cancer-causing substance), and is a known cause of pleural plaques, asbestosis, mesothelioma, and cancers of the lung, oesophagus, and colon.

Diseases caused by asbestos have a long latency period, usually taking ten to forty years before showing any symptoms. This is especially apparent today, with people who worked in installing asbestos as insulation and other materials in the 1970s now realising that they are developing cancer at alarming rates.

Producers

Canada is a chief producer of asbestos, and has some of the largest asbestos mine fields in the world. Other producers are Russia, Zimbabwe, the Republic of South Africa, Cyprus, and the United States of America.