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About
Asbestos |
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What
Is Asbestos? |
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Asbestos (from the Greek for
inextinguishable) is a general term
covering two distinct groups of
fibrous minerals. From Serpentine
rock is derived Chrysotile or White
Asbestos, a magnesium silicate. From
Amphiboles rock are derived Amosite
or Brown Asbestos and Crocidolite or
Blue Asbestos, and of a lesser
commercial significance,
Anthophyllite, Tremolite and
Actinolite.
There are in fact at least 30 types of asbestiform minerals but
only the above mentioned are of any industrial significance. All
asbestos types have a number of properties that have made them
invaluable in many industrial applications.
- Chrysotile has
a very good resistance to alkalis.
- Amosite has a
very good resistance to high temperature.
- Crocidolite
has a very good resistance to acids.
The main sources
of Chrysotile asbestos, the commonest fibre in industrial use,
were mined in Quebec, British Columbia, South Africa, Russia,
Italy, America, Greece, and Cyprus. Crocidolite was mined in
South Africa and Australia and Amosite was mined in Australia
and South Africa (The name Amosite is derived from AMOSA -
Asbestos Mines Of South Africa).
The main sources
of Chrysotile asbestos, the commonest fibre in industrial use,
were mined in Quebec, British Columbia, South Africa, Russia,
Italy, America, Greece, and Cyprus. Crocidolite was mined in
South Africa and Australia and Amosite was mined in Australia
and South Africa (The name Amosite is derived from AMOSA -
Asbestos Mines Of South Africa). |
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Asbestos Containing Material |
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Appliances: |
Friction material: |
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Hand held dryers |
Brake shoes and pads |
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Toasters, popcorn
poppers, slow cookers |
Clutch facings |
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Electric blankets |
Gaskets: |
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Clothes dryers |
Sheet gaskets |
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Boilers |
Automotive gaskets |
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Asbestos
Cement Products: |
Coal and wood burning
stove door gaskets |
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Asbestos cement pipe
and fittings |
Paints,
coatings, sealants: |
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Asbestos cement sheets |
Asphaltic compounds |
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Asbestos cement
shingles |
Buffing and polishing
compounds |
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Automotive: |
Caulking and patching
compounds |
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Body filler, radiator
sealant |
Drilling fluids |
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Transmissions, mufflers |
Plaster and stucco |
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Construction Products: |
Textured paints and
tile cement |
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Wallboard |
Textile
and felt products: |
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Hoods and vents |
Cloth (aprons, gloves,
suits, blankets) |
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Roofing and roof
shingles, siding |
Rope, wicks, and tape |
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Electrical
products: |
Fire hoses |
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Cable and electrical
wire insulation |
Ironing board pads |
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Switchboards |
Piano and organ felts |
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Electronic motor
components |
Theater curtains |
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Felts
and papers: |
Other products include: |
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Roofing and felts |
Distress flares |
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Pipe-work wrap |
Reinforced plastic
toilet cisterns & seats |
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Floor
coverings: |
Blackboards |
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Vinyl-asbestos floor
tile |
Lamp sockets |
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Asbestos-felt backed
vinyl sheet flooring |
Linings for vaults,
safes, filing cabinets |
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List of
Typical asbestos containing
materials found in buildings: |
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Pipe insulation |
Roofing felts |
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Tank and roof
insulation |
Floor tiles |
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Thermal insulation |
Suspended ceiling tiles |
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Firebreak boards |
Textured coatings such
as Artex |
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Wall lining panels |
Decorative panels,
soffit and fascia boards |
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Insulation board |
Sprayed acoustic
coatings and fire insulation |
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Flues |
Gaskets and washers to
plant and machinery |
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Partitioning |
Fire resistant
blankets, gloves, mattresses, curtains etc |
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Roof slates, decking |
Insulation
paper/cardboard under pipe lagging and floor tiles |
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Strings for sealing
radiators |
Jointing and packing
yarns and materials to boilers, ovens, electric
cables and fuse boards, flues, brickwork |
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String around glazing |
Preformed products such
as cable conduits, rainwater goods, fencing, roof
promenade tiles, window sills, bath panels, draining
boards, worktops, ducts |
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Resin wc cisterns |
Roof sheets and
cladding |
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How Long It
Has Been Used |
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The main
sources of Chrysotile asbestos, the
commonest fibre in industrial use,
were mined in Quebec, British
Columbia, South Africa, Russia,
Italy, America, Greece, and Cyprus.
Crocidolite was mined in South
Africa and Australia and Amosite was
mined in Australia and South Africa
(The name Amosite is derived from
AMOSA - Asbestos Mines Of South
Africa). |
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When Is
Asbestos A Hazard? |
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Asbestos is not always an immediate
hazard. In fact, if asbestos can be
maintained in good condition, it is
recommended that it be left alone
and periodic surveillance performed
to monitor its condition. It is only
when asbestos containing materials (ACM)
are disturbed or the materials
become damaged that the risk to
exposure is increased. When the
materials are damaged, the fibres
can separate and may become
airborne. |
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Why Is It A
Hazard? |
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It was
discovered in the 1930s that when
the microscopic asbestos fibres (up
to 100 times finer than human hair)
become airborne they can be inhaled.
The fibres are so inert that they
cannot be dispelled from the lungs,
and can cause cancer. Asbestos is
made up of microscopic bundles of
fibres that may become airborne when
disturbed. Inhaled asbestos fibres
can cause significant respiratory
health problems.
Researchers still have not determined a "safe level" of
exposure, but we know the greater and longer the
exposure, the greater the risk of contracting an
asbestos related disease. Asbestos related diseases kill
more people than any other single work-related cause -
about 2500 - 3000 people a year in the UK. There is a
long latent period between exposure and onset of disease
(15 - 60 years) so that most of the deaths seen today
are from exposures during the 1950s - 1960s when
asbestos was widely used. |
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Did You
Know? |
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- The
tensile strength of some individual asbestos fibres has
been recorded as high as 10 times that of nylon
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Asbestos fibres are said to be a constituent of at least
3000 products
- Clay
pots reinforced with asbestos fibres have been
discovered in Finland dating back to 2500BC, and
other stone age cooking pots have been found to
incorporate asbestos.
- To
extract asbestos fibres, the excavated rock is crushed
and screened with up to 30 tonnes of rock yielding a
tonne of fibre.
- The
ancient Egyptian, Greek and Romans would wrap their dead
in asbestos woven cloth to preserve the ashes in funeral
fires.
- Tests
at the Building Research Establishment found that a
floor sprayed with one-inch of asbestos withstood a mean
temperature of 1000°C for four hours without damage.
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Chrysotile (White asbestos) only starts to dehydrate at
temperatures above 500°C and fuses at about 1500°C
- During
mining, Asbestos is found in layers, sometimes only a
few centimetres thick, between rocks of the same
chemical composition. The fibres can be separated by
hand
- Until
recently, Asbestos pipes were used in beer and medicine
filters because they absorb bacteria and clarify the
liquids. No asbestos related disease has ever been
recorded as a result. Many asbestos cement pipes are
still in use and will continue to be used for many years
to come.
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Types of Asbestos |
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Here are a list of
the types of asbestos found. Click on their links for
further information. |
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