My college biology teacher was telling us that most of the asbestos in North America is not dangerous. He said that there are different types of asbestos including green and grey asbestos. I believe he said the green and grey were the most dangerous and are rarely found in buildings in the US. White asbestos which is common in most of the buildings here in the US is not dangerous at all. Perhaps this rumor was just started for asbestos removal companies to make money.
2007-03-27 14:56:50 · 8 answers · asked by Hmmm... 3 in Environment
Asbestos is a naturally occuring mineral that is used to insulate materials from heat. Asbestos has been used for several thousand years. (Green and Gray? Never heard it described like that).
Asbestos is a group of six naturally occurring fibrous metamorphic minerals; chrysotile, amosite, crocidolite, tremolite, actinolite and anthophyllite.
Chrysotile Asbestos
Also called white asbestos, chrysotile asbestos is unique in that it has a serpentine fiber-formation (curled fibers) compared to the amphibole fiber-formation (straight, needle-like fibers) of the other five types. Chrysotile asbestos is less friable than other types of asbestos, meaning that it is less-likely to be inhaled.
Because chrysotile asbestos is less likely to be inhaled, it is deemed the safest of the asbestos types; some evidence even suggests that chrysotile is harmless when inhaled.
Amosite Asbestos
Also called Grunerite or brown asbestos, amosite asbestos is an amphibole originating in Africa. Amosite is used commercially for various purposes such as cement sheet and pipe insulation.
Crocidolite Asbestos
Also called blue asbestos, crocidolite asbestos is an amphibole mineral that can be found in Africa and Australia. Crocidolite is viewed to be the most dangerous type of asbestos.
Tremolite Asbestos
Tremolite asbestos is not often used industrially, though it can be found in products such as certain talcum powders.
Actinolite Asbestos
Similar to tremolite asbestos, actinolite asbestos is not often used industrially. Airborne actinolite fibers are easily inhaled and severely damaging to the lungs.
Anthophyllite Asbestos
Like tremolite and actinolite, anthophyllite is not often used industrially, though it can occasionally be found in certain vermiculites (natural minerals that expand with the application of heat).
What makes Asbestos Containing Material (ACM) Dangerous?
When Friable (easily crushed with hand pressure) Asbestos fibers can float in air and be inhaled. ACM will bind to a persons lungs and cause tumor materials to form around them like an infection.
This is what Mesothelioma and Asbestosis are- respiratory illnesses of those routinely exposed to friable ACM.
When you smoke, the odds of contracting Asbestosis or Mesothelioma increases 30X. Mesothelioma can have a latency period of up to 30 years and is believed to be able to occur due to a single exposure to an ACM.
Who decided that ACM should be abated from buildings?
The US Government, in their infinite wisdom decided that school buildings should have all Friable ACM assessed, maintained, and/or removed. NESHAP was adopted as a means for a federal standard to deal with ACM.
It was not the abatement contractors that decided how/when ACM would be removed, but the weight of the government.
IS EXPOSURE TO ACM DANGEROUS?
There are several Americans that have died due to either asbestosis or mesothelioma. You can ask them what they think.
The question is, what is the probability of people that are not exposed to friable ACM? Zero to nil. But, if you work with the material, in either a mine, or in the application of friable insulation, then your risk is greater. What happened was the companies that engaged in these practices did not inform their workers of the risks (when they knew them).
Thus, several thousand Personal Injury Lawyers were made extremely rich (suing Mines, and Ship builders).
Is your professor wrong? Yes, it is a risk if you have a genetic disposition to cancer due to exposure to hazardous chemicals, smoke or have inhaled thousands of fibers.
2007-03-28 14:50:48 · answer #1 · answered by Christmas Light Guy 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's like mercury. In fact, Americans have tons (literally) in their teeth in the form of dental amalgam, but the reason why it hasn't resulted in a national nervous breakdown is because the mercury is not in a free form. Likewise, not all asbestos is in free form, which is what you are talking about. However, when doing demolition work, breaking up solids that have asbestos in them can in fact release friable asbestos. And that's where the danger lies. It's very difficult to make accurate estimates of true health risks, so public officials---once given the mandate under threat of blame---err on the side of caution on the matter of asbestos removal methods.
The lungs of a normal human is ingenious in design for eventually clearing out all the particulates that we breathe into them, but it does have its limits. And friable asbestos is one of those things it isn't well suited to handle. It's a public decision on whether or not the risk is worth it. There are a lot of other things that we really shouldn't be breathing on a regular basis either, so those will be addressed as well.
2007-03-27 15:16:10 · answer #2 · answered by Scythian1950 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Most Dangerous Asbestos
2016-11-08 04:05:18 · answer #3 · answered by balsinger 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Although asbestos is very dangerous the general consensus is that it is only harmful if you breath in the dust (whether this is absolutely true or not I don't know). However, in any damp property there are certain types of moulds which grow, some more obvious than others, all of which give off spores which could easily be responsible for your chest problems. As to whether there is any link to the miscarriages, who knows? It would be very difficult to prove either way. But the body will reject the embryo/foetus if there is something wrong with it, and it may be that chemicals from the moulds or otherwise are responsible. We are constantly surrounded by chemicals, they are in everything, our food, water, furniture, carpets, beds, the air we breathe, moulds and spores, etc etc. There are some people who are highly sensitive to these and it makes them very ill. It would be difficult to determine whether the many various substances we constantly take in are the cause of miscarriages/illness, but the possibility is always there.
2016-03-18 06:05:11 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Quick bit of friendly advice... Don't go back to that class if you do don't believe everything your told just because the guy telling you it has a piece of paper saying he knows more than you... I have a piece of paper that say I know more than you and I would never expect you to believe everything I say... Besides my piece of paper is hand written and fits in my wallet. Asbestos is a carcinogen it causes cancer and will kill you over time... Sadly if you believe a person like this teacher and mess with Asbestos you will die a slow painfull death... And his sadistic lies will put a smile on his face. Do the research Asbestos is deadly.
2007-03-27 15:05:39 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Bogus. The problem is that any of the forms of asbestos can "weather" to release fibers. If you inhale these fibers, you're more likely to develop lung cancer than if you hadn't.
Yep, I keep my asbestos tiles on the house siding covered with fresh paint, to keep them from weathering. Don't tell *wink*
2007-03-27 15:01:37 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not completely sure about this one
2016-07-28 10:22:18 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I was wondering the same question myself yesterday
2016-08-23 22:14:01 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋