Friday, November 16, 2018

Essential Facts About Chicago Asbestos

By Melissa Watson


Asbestos is a set of six naturally occurring minerals that are found in the environment. The existence of these minerals is in the form of fiber bundles that one can separate into durable and thin threads, which find use in commercial and/or industrial processes. These fibers are not good conductors of heat and electricity. High resistance levels to heat, fire and chemicals are also exhibited by them. A lot of industrial importance is given to asbestos by these qualities. This is worth knowing about Chicago asbestos.

In existence are other minerals that resemble asbestos. Erionite is one such mineral. Asbestos is categorized as a compound comprising silicate. This is from the perspective of quality and chemical composition. This implies that asbestos molecules contain silicon and oxygen. There usually is a difference in oxygen and silicone composition. As a result, there exist six types of materials classified as asbestos.

This material exists in two major groups, that is, amphibole and serpentine asbestos. The serpentine group is composed of mineral chrysotile. Mineral chrysotile has long and curly fibers that are capable of being woven. Chrysotile group is the one that has found a lot of commercial use today. On the other hand, amphibole group is composed of minerals such as tremolite, crocidolite, amosite, anthophyllite, and actinolite.

Fibers of the amphibole are needle-like and are more brittle compared to those found in serpentine. Fabrication of amphibole is often limited. The mining and commercialization of asbestos has been ongoing in many parts of the world, including North America since 1800s. The use of the mineral saw a rapid increase during the Second World War. Since that time, its use in the building and construction industry has increased a lot.

Among the areas that asbestos is used is in strengthening cement and plastics used in construction. It also finds use in fireproofing, sound absorption, insulation, and roofing. This material is used in insulating boilers in shipbuilding industry, steam pipes, and hot water pipes among other industries. This material is also used to make brakes and clutch pads that are found in automotive. Garden products, crayons, paints, adhesives, plastics, and coatings are also made using the material.

However, the boom of the industry did not last because in 1970s, its use was banned. Consumer Product Safety Commission was the first body in the US to label a ban on the substance. In 1989, the EPA would would later follow suit and prohibit any new applications of the substance. However, commodities developed before 1989 were allowed to remain in used.

The ban of asbestos came after it was discovered that it is capable of causing several health conditions, including cancer. Given that this product is capable of being released into the environment in the form of tiny dust particles, they can be inhaled easily. Once inhaled, they accumulate inside the body and does not undergo disintegration or break down.

The body does not have the means to reliably eliminate particles of dust when they make their way in. After some time, the particles cause mutation in cells hence causing cancer. In many cases, the particles build up in lungs. This causes lung cancer.




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