Though many people may think that asbestos is a man-made product, it’s really a mineral found in the ground in countries around the world.
Asbestos actually describes a group of six silicate-based minerals that can be separated into fibers.
- Chrysotile asbestos (white asbestos)
- Amosite asbestos (brown asbestos)
- Crocidolite asbestos (blue asbestos)
- Tremolite asbestos
- Anthophylite asbestos
- Actinolite asbestos
Chrysotile asbestos is in the serpentine family of asbestos because its fibers are curly. The other types of asbestos belong to the amphibole family and have straight, needle-like fibers. Breathing asbestos fibers can cause the lung disease asbestosis and the cancer mesothelioma.
Asbestos became a popular industrial material because its fibers are flexible enough to be woven like cotton (particularly chrysotile asbestos). Moreover, because it’s a mineral, it has many unique properties.
- Fire resistant
- Thermal insulator
- Resistant to chemicals
- Electrical insulator
- Sound insulator
- High tensile strength
History of Asbestos Use
Archeological evidence indicates humans have recognized asbestos’ unique qualities for at least 3,000 years. The ancient Greeks used asbestos in clothing and as wicks for temple lamps. The name “asbestos” is actually derived from the Greek words for “not extinguishable” because of its flame resistance. In Roman times, asbestos was also popular in tablecloths. They were thrown into the fire after a meal, and emerged clean and unharmed.
Though usage declined during the Dark Ages, asbestos flourished again in the Industrial Revolution, becoming popular as insulation in ovens and steam engines. Because of increasing demand, the first commercial mine opened in Quebec in 1879. Eventually, asbestos mines also appeared in Russia, Australia,] and South Africa.
In the U.S., the expanding railroads drove the growth in asbestos use as insulation in steam locomotives. By the early 1900s, asbestos was being used in thousands of other products from hot plates and automobile brake pads to building materials and fireproof coatings.
Link to Lung Disease
The ancient Greeks and Romans both observed an increased occurrence of lung sickness among the slaves who wore asbestos clothing or worked in asbestos mines. The Roman Pliny the Elder counseled against purchasing slaves who had worked in the asbestos mines because of their tendency to die young. To protect the miners, he recommended they use a bladder skin to cover their mouth and nose to protect them from breathing the asbestos dust.
Even though asbestos use began growing tremendously in the mid 1800s, it wasn’t until the late 1800s that physicians began once again drawing the link between asbestos and lung disease that Pliny the Elder had noted 18 centuries earlier. The first record of the new association is in the 1897 report of a Viennese doctor who linked emaciation and lung disease among asbestos weavers directly to inhaling asbestos dust. In 1898 and 1899, several British factory inspectors began noting the danger of asbestos dust to workers and the need to improve working conditions.
Actual proof of a link didn’t occur until 1906, however, when a British doctor presented an autopsy report revealing a fatal pulmonary fibrosis in the lungs of an asbestos worker. The disease itself, “asbestosis,” was not named until 1928 when Dr. Cooke described it as an irreversible and progressive condition caused by inhaling asbestos fibers. By 1935, physicians also began observing higher incidences of lung cancer among asbestos workers.
Asbestos Regulation
Evidence of the dangers of inhaling asbestos grew steadily in the mid 1900s but powerful industrial and economic interests resisted regulation as long as possible. By the early 1970s however, mounting publicity resulted in the first regulations of asbestos in the U.S. by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Today, the use of asbestos is severely regulated in over 50 countries. Some have banned asbestos entirely, but in some cases the bans apply only to the new manufacture or import of asbestos-containing products and not to products already in use.
Risks
Because workplace exposure to asbestos is so heavily regulated, modern workers have little risk of asbestos exposure except in case of an accident or a violation of workplace safety rules. Those exposed to asbestos in the workplace before extensive regulations were in place, however, may yet be at risk for developing serious lung conditions such as asbestosis or mesothelioma. For mesothelioma in particular, symptoms don’t appear until ten to forty years following initial exposure.
Despite the current U.S. phase out of asbestos products, older homes may still contain original materials made from asbestos. Solid asbestos poses no danger unless it is sufficiently disturbed so that the mineral fibers are released into the air. Therefore, people should exercise caution when remodeling or disturbing building materials that may contain asbestos.
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