Asbestos is the generic name for a kind of fibrous minerals found naturally in rock formations around the world. Since asbestos fibres are strong,durable and non-combustible,they were extensively employed by industry,mostly in construction and friction materials. Commercial asbestos fibres belong in two wide mineralogical groupings:serpentine (chrysotile) and amphibole (tremolite,actinolyte and others).
Amphibole asbestos frequently contains more iron and resists acid and very high temperatures. Because of this,it has been broadly utilized in industrial furnaces and heating systems. However when inhaled,amphibole fibres stay much longer in the lungs than chrysotile fibres and they are more possible to cause damage and bring about disease,including cancer. For that reason,amphibole asbestos has been considerably restricted and mostly replaced.
Amphibole asbestos includes small microscopic fibers that are like long,thin needles. Chrysotile asbestos consists of tiny curly needles. Chrysotile asbestos is deemed less hazardous than amphibole asbestos and is more generally used nowadays.
Asbestos fibers can lead to various dangerous diseases,including asbestosis,pleural plaques,lung cancer,and mesothelioma. Research demonstrates that the ingestion or inhalation of these fibers leads to damage to the lungs and the growth of cancer over an extended period of time. The body usually produces mucus to surround the irritant when the human body inhales an irritating substance.Employing its own natural defenses,the body would then cause a person to cough in order to drive out the mucus and irritant. Another way of ridding the body of the irritant is recognized as phagocytosis and happens in the immune system.
The dangers are greatest for workers in industries which produce and make use of asbestos,for example mining and milling. Formerly,workers in these environments were exposed to 100 –1,000 times more asbestos than today’s workers. Today’s firm standards limit workers’exposure and the bans of most usages of amphibole asbestos have decreased the risks.