Asbestos is known as a deadly substance that can cause lung cancer, Mesothelioma, asbestosis and a host of other health problems. While generally accepted as true, there is a bit of a misunderstanding about asbestos. The term refers to a variety of substances, not a single mineral.
Using the term asbestos is like using the term “car”. There are many different vehicles that are extremely unique, but all of them can be called a car. That being said, few would disagree that the Toyota Prius is an entirely different vehicle than a Ferrari F40. Asbestos has much the same issue. Although we use the term globally, there are actually many different types. The term actually refers to a variety of minerals, but only when they are in their fibrous form. Let’s take a look.
Blue Asbestos – Blue asbestos is the fibrous form of the mineral riebeckite.
Never heard of riebeckite? That’s hardly a surprise, but you’ve probably seen it. Have you ever watched the sport of curling during the winter Olympics? The stones they are pushing are often made of riebeckite. It is a perfectly safe mineral unless it is in its asbestos form. Then it can cause all the problems associated with asbestos.
White Asbestos – The white form of asbestos is the fibrous form of Chrysotile. It is also called Serpentine. This is a particularly bad mineral because it always appears in the fibrous form and is thus banned. Nasty stuff.
Brown Asbestos – This form is not an individual mineral in fiber form. It is instead a mix of a number of minerals in their fiber form. It was very popular as material in construction and is still found throughout buildings and homes across the world. It has been banned as well.
There are other minerals that come in asbestos forms.
These three are the most common, however. Of them, the blue and brown forms are the two most associated with causing the health problems we see with exposure. Those problems include Mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis to name a few.
There is a fourth asbestos material that is often brought up. It is known as actinolite-tremolite. Tremolite is a type of mineral, but it is called actinolite if there is more than 2 percent iron in it. Regardless, the asbestos form of this is found in nature, but the form most associated with health problems is actually a pollutant of a manufacturing process and not really a mineral at all. Regardless, it is to be avoided as well.
Asbestos was once associated a word associated with great attributes in manufacturing, but now it is associated with a host of medical horrors. That is, if you are talking about the correct type of asbestos.
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