What is Asbestos?
Asbestos, acceptation "miracle mineral" in Greek, is a accumulation of minerals with continued attenuate coarse crystals (Figure 19). There are six altered minerals commercially accessible that can accomplish up "asbestos", including chrysotile, amosite, crocidolite, tremolite, anthophyllite and actinolite1. Of these differerence minerals, chrysotile and amosite are best generally used1. Although asbestos dates aback to Roman times, its use in barrio alone began about 150 years ago5. In the backward 19th century, asbestos become more boundless amid automated manufacturers and builders due to its assorted concrete and actinic characteristics, including1:
Resistance to calefaction and electricity
Sound assimilation
Tensile backbone
Flexibility
Resistance to chemicals
Where is there asbestos in my home?
By the 1860's, asbestos began actualization as insulation in the United States and Canada, and by the average of the 20th century, bags of altered uses had appeared1,2,3,5 (Figure 2)10. Before actuality banned in abounding countries, asbestos was a actual accepted actual in the construction, adjustment and advance of homes4,5. Typical concentrations of asbestos fibers in the home ambit from 0.00001 to 0.0001 fibers per milliliter (f/ml)1. It is not simple to analyze whether a actual contains asbestos by aloof attractive at it. The alone way to do it is to accept it analyzed by an accepted laboratory5. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency provides advice in its website about accessible locations in the home area asbestos hazards may be found9:
Some beam and balustrade shingles are fabricated of asbestos cement.
Houses congenital amid 1930 and 1950 may accept asbestos as insulation.
Asbestos may be present in textured acrylic and patching compounds acclimated on bank and beam joints. Their use was banned in 1977.
Artificial ashes and charcoal awash for use in gas-fired fireplaces may accommodate asbestos.
Older articles such as stove-top pads may accept some asbestos compounds.
Walls and floors about copse afire stoves may be adequate with asbestos paper, millboard, or adhesive sheets.
Asbestos is begin in some vinyl attic tiles and the abetment on vinyl area attic and adhesives.
Hot baptize and beef pipes in earlier houses may be coated with an asbestos actual or covered with an asbestos absolute or tape.
Oil and atramentous furnaces and aperture gaskets may accept asbestos insulation.
