My GLY 110 assignment last year:
Asbestos deposits are naturally occurring fibrous silicate minerals, mined across the world in Canada, Australia, Russia and South Africa, and are known for their thermal insulation, chemical and thermal stability and high tensile strength (“What is Asbestos?”). This mineral has long been used in industries, businesses and civic buildings for a wide variety of purposes, such as floor tiles, wallboards, pipe insulations, HVAC, heating and electrical duct works, doors, chalkboards, ceiling tiles and as fireproofing insulation (“Where Can Asbestos Be Found?”). Unfournately, its widespread use brought about several problems because it is classified as a toxic substance by the Environmental Protection Agency and can cause lung cancer, asbestosis and mesothelioma, where symptoms to this disease develop years following major asbestos inhalation (“Information on Asbestos”).
Asbestos can be categorized into three common categories dependent on their chemical properties: chrysotile, the most common type, amosite and crocidolite. Chrysotile, characterized by a white color, comprises of 90% to 95% of all asbestos used in the United States. While asbestos is an excellent insulation and fire retardant product, it has to remain in excellent condition, or asbestos containing materials and fibers can become airborne if damaged or disturbed (“What is Asbestos?”). The pre-late-1970’s asbestos installations are friable, or able to be reduced to a dusty powder by hand pressure.
One reason for a ban on use of certain asbestos materials is that any substantial exposure to any type of asbestos containing materials is very hazardous. The asbestos fibers can become stuck in the lungs and remain in there for an indefinite period. Over time, with enough exposure, the fibers accumulate and can cause scarring and inflammation, affecting breathing and increasing the risk of lung cancer, asbestosis and mesothelioma. The lung cancer risk is greatly enhanced by smoking. With asbestos exposure, there is a large latency period of ten to more than thirty years before symptoms develop in humans (“Asbestos General Information and Facts”).
Another argument to support a ban on this mineral is the fact that it is difficult and very expensive to remove asbestos, since proper safety procedures must be followed. The work area must be properly sealed off with plastic to keep the dust and fibers from entering in other parts of the building, and all asbestos materials removed must be placed in biohazard bags and the laden items must be placed in a landfill (“Asbestos”).
There are some good aspects of asbestos however. A study conducted in Thetford, Quebec, evaluated various people who had significant asbestos exposure. No deaths had been reported and most of the illnesses reported were attributed to improper handling of the materials and the insufficient use of biohazard suits. Another study conducted by Virginia Tech reported that very low exposure to asbestos fibers dissolve in lung tissue (Minerals, Cancer, and OSHA).
Today’s asbestos products are non-friable and dense, meaning that they cannot be reduced to dust by hand pressure alone, which pales to the former asbestos materials that date to before the late-1970’s, which were very dusty and volatile (“What is Asbestos?”). The only type of asbestos used today is chrysotile in a variety of products, including chrysotile-cement building and friction materials, gaskets and some plastics (“From chrysotile to asbestos”).
Chrysotile is a less dusty material and is more easily eliminated from the human body than amphiboles because they are not comprised of amphibole fibers, such as crocidolite and amosite. Studies have concluded that workers exposed to chrysotile materials do not have a significant risk of getting cancer, asbestosis or mesothelioma, as they fall within a practical threshold (“From chrysotile to asbestos”).
Cost effectiveness is another reason to support the use of modern asbestos products. The importation of fibers from other countries is very small, as most of the other raw materials can be mined or manufactured locally. The technology for manufacturing asbestos already exists and requires little investment and consumes far less energy compared to other methods of production for similar, non-asbestos products. All of these factors combined equates modern asbestos products to cheaper construction costs (“From chrysotile to asbestos”).
With the newer, modern asbestos materials being used in industries worldwide, it is not yet known why the Environmental Protection Agency in 1986, under the Toxic Substance Control Act of 1972, mandated that all asbestos related materials be labeled as health hazards (Minerals, Cancer, and OSHA). This is a major downside to a total ban on due to high removal costs. Since the EPA mandated removal of this mineral, hundreds of millions of dollars had been spent to remove asbestos related materials, and the total cost for the removal, lawsuit settlements and enforcement is estimated at $100 billion (Minerals, Cancer, and OSHA). Even with the removal of all asbestos materials, it cannot be guaranteed that all asbestos fibers have been removed from a particular building, since they can be transmitted very easily on the soles of shoes, clothing, and so forth.
In conclusion, asbestos should not be removed from buildings and should be continued to be used as insulation, in concrete and plastic and as fire retardant materials, as long as they remain in good shape and do not pose a health hazard. Annual inspections by the Environmental Protection Agency can ensure that asbestos can remain a cheap and viable building product worldwide. If asbestos does need to be removed, proper safety precautions must be followed to make certain the health of the workers doing the removing is not compromised. Following these safe measures can define asbestos use indefinitely as a practical and cost efficient product.
Works Cited
“Asbestos.” 1 Feb. 2002. National Safety Council. 1 Feb. 2004
<
http://www.nsc.org...facts/asbestos.htm>.
“Asbestos General Information and Facts.” 2002. Asbestos Lawyers and
Attorneys. 1 Feb. 2004 <
http://www.asbesto..._general_info.html>.
“From chrysotile to asbestos.” The Asbestos Institute. 1 Feb. 2004
<
http://www.asbesto...tail/cocktail.html>.
“Information on Asbestos.” 2003. Environmental Protection Agency. 1 Feb. 2004
<
http://www.epa.gov/asbestos/inforev.pdf>.
“Minerals, Cancer, and OSHA - Fact and Fiction.” Pacific Grove: Brooks/Cole,
2001.
“What is Asbestos?” 2003. Environmental Protection Agency. 1 Feb. 2004
<
http://www.epa.gov/asbestos/asbe.pdf>.
“Where Can Asbestos Be Found?” 2003. Environmental Protection Agency. 1
Feb. 2004 <
http://www.epa.gov/asbestos/asbuses.pdf>.