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About
Asbestos |
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What
Is Asbestos? |
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Asbestos (from the Greek for
inextinguishable, referring to the
oil wicks which were made from the
material)) is a general term
covering two distinct groups of
fibrous minerals. From Serpentine
rock is derived Chrysotile or White
Asbestos, a magnesium silicate. From
Amphibole rock are derived Amosite
(more correctly, Grunerite) 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 mines 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 South Africa
and Australia (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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Asbestos has
been used in a limited way for thousands of years.
However, it is only since the 1880s that mining and the
use of asbestos has risen dramatically. In England the
first described case of asbestos-related lung disease
was a worker who died in 1900 from pulmonary fibrosis
but was not reported until 1907. Since then many studies
have been made and the causes and patterns of
asbestos-related diseases have become more apparent,
although even today uncertainties still exist. |
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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 (ACMs) 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 could 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 asbestos
related disease. Asbestos related diseases kill more
people than any other single work-related cause - about
3000 - 4000 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 and 1970s, 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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