Chrysotile, amosite, crocidolite (the three most often used kinds) and anthophyllite, tremolite, and actinolite are the six primary forms of
asbestos.
All six of these mineral kinds are referred to together as asbestos.
These asbestos materials are classified into two types: serpentine and amphibole.
Each has a distinct physical look and personality.
Serpentine asbestos has a stacked or tiered structure, whereas amphibole asbestos has a chain-like structure.
Chrysotile, amosite, and crocidolite are the three primary kinds of asbestos that you are probably most familiar with.
This is due to the fact that these three minerals have been utilised most frequently in commercial construction materials over the years.
Let’s take a look at each of the six kinds of asbestos and see how they differ, starting with the most prevalent three:
-Asbestos chrysotile
Chrysotile, sometimes known as “white asbestos,” is the most widely used of all the many kinds of asbestos.
This kind of asbestos is so common that it accounts for around 90% of all commercially utilised asbestos worldwide.
Chrysotile is the only asbestos form that belongs to the serpentine family.
Asbestos fibres from chrysotile are white in colour and seem long and curled.
Chrysotile may be found in a number of structures built before 1999, when it was prohibited in the UK.
It’s often seen on the roofs of sheds, garages, and warehouses made of asbestos-corrugated cement.
However, it may be found in residential structures in the form of ceiling sheets or panels, as well as walls and floors.
This kind of asbestos was also popular among makers of brake linings for automobiles, boiler seals, gaskets, and pipe, duct, and
appliance insulation.
It can be spun and woven into fabric since it is highly flexible, which is another reason for its popularity.
Due to its colour, amosite is sometimes known as “brown asbestos.” It was most often employed in the manufacturing of cement sheets
and pipe insulation.
Amosite asbestos is a member of the amphibole family, and its fibres are straight rather than curled.
Amosite may also be found in construction materials, including insulating boards, thermal insulation products, and ceiling tiles.
Crocidolite, often known as “blue asbestos” or “Riebeckite,” is the third most prevalent asbestos variety.
Crocidolite is an amphibole mineral with blue asbestos threads that are straight in appearance.
It was often used to insulate steam engines, as well as spray-on coatings, cement products, plastics, and pipe insulation.
Anthophyllite was not utilised economically since it was far less frequent than asbestos varieties like chrysotile, amosite, and crocidolite.
However, it was utilised in tiny amounts for things like insulation and building materials.
This form of asbestos can also be found in chrysotile, talc, and vermiculite.
Anthophyllite asbestos minerals come in a variety of colours, including brown, green, white, translucent, and grey.
Asbestos, Tremolite, and Actinolite
Tremolite and actinolite, like anthophyllite, are found as impurities in chrysotile, talc, and vermiculite, although they are not widely utilised
economically.
Tremolite asbestos fibres come in a variety of colours, including brown, grey, white, and green.
Tremolite, like other forms of asbestos, can have a transparent appearance.
Actinolite asbestos has the appearance of dark green crystals.
Paints, children’s toys, sealants, and other products include the mineral.
Which of these asbestos kinds is the most hazardous?
Physical and chemical variations exist among the six kinds of asbestos listed above.
However, all asbestos forms are equally dangerous to our health if we are exposed to them and can induce asbestos-related
malignancies if we are exposed to them.
As a result, there is no such thing as a safe amount of exposure.
However, some say that white asbestos (chrysotile) is the most hazardous, while others argue that blue asbestos (crocidolite) is the most
deadly.
In response, we believe that chrysotile provides a far lower health risk than other forms of asbestos found in the amphibole family of
minerals.
Because asbestos fibres have a tiny shape, they may be breathed out more readily if inhaled, making them less likely to stay stuck in the
lungs.
The Health Protection Agency in the United Kingdom claims that amphibole asbestos types are the most hazardous.
In other words, asbestos types like amosite, crocidolite, tremolite, and actinolite are among them.
We believe that crocidolite asbestos is the most hazardous sort of commercially utilised asbestos out of all of them.
Because of their short and spikey nature, crocidolite asbestos fibres are the most hazardous.
Because of their makeup, they tend to pierce the lungs’ lining more easily, and they’re also more difficult to exhale if inhaled.
What diseases are induced by these different kinds of asbestos?
If people are exposed to any form of asbestos, they are more likely to develop lung illness.
Asbestosis, which is caused by scarring, pleural disease, which is a non-cancerous illness of the tissue lining the surface of the lung, and
mesothelioma, which is a lung cancer of the lungs or their outer lining tissue, are the three forms of asbestos-related lung disease.
Asbestosis develops when asbestos fibres enter the lungs and damage the tissue.
Malignant mesothelioma is a malignancy of the pleura (lung tissue lining) or peritoneum that is caused by asbestos exposure (abdomen).
Symptoms of asbestos cancer may not appear for 10 to 50 years after initial asbestos exposure.
According to studies, smokers who have also been exposed to asbestos are at an elevated risk of getting asbestosis much sooner.
Chest X-rays or CT scans of the lungs are commonly used to diagnose asbestos-related lung illness or cancer.
Patients with asbestos-related diseases can get a variety of therapies, including vaccines, quitting smoking, treating lung infections, and
using oxygen.
We can’t emphasise enough how hazardous any of these asbestos kinds may be if they’re inhaled over time.
So, if you think your house or structure includes any of these forms of asbestos and you intend on undertaking any type of DIY, home
repair, or demolition, contact us for professional guidance on how to handle and deal with the asbestos.
Looking to remove asbestos from your property in Glasgow, visit our Asbestos removal page.
