Asbestos Essay Research Paper Asbestos is the free essay sample

Asbestos Essay, Research Paper Asbestos is the lone natural inorganic hempen stuff that has attained commercial importance, and peculiarly in the last 20 old ages. The current period after World War II has witnessed a vigorous development in all technological countries where asbestos plays a portion ( Oesper 1 ) . The word asbestos is derived from a Grecian adjectival significance inextinguishable. The # 8220 ; miracle mineral # 8221 ; as it was referred to by the Greeks, was admired for its soft and field belongingss, every bit good as its ability to defy heat. Asbestos was spun and woven into fabric as the same mode as cotton. It was besides utilised for wicks in sacred lamps. In engineering and industry the term asbestos is applied to the hempen crystalline assortments of five distinguishable natural silicates. Merely those asbestoses with fiber lengths that permit their fabric processing were truly desired. Asbestos is a of course happening mineral. It is distinguished from other stuffs by the fact that its crystals form long, thin fibres. We will write a custom essay sample on Asbestos Essay Research Paper Asbestos is the or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The primary sites of commercial production of asbestos are: Canada, the Soviet Union, and South America. Asbestos is besides mined commercially in the United States. An asbestos fibre is defined as a atom which has a length to width ratio equal to or greater than 3:1 and a length greater than 5 um. Asbestos was foremost used in the United States in the early 1900 # 8217 ; s, to insulate steam engines. But until the early 1940 # 8217 ; s, asbestos was non used extensively. However, after World War II, and for the following 30 old ages, people who constructed and renovated schools and other public edifices used asbestos and asbestos -containing stuffs ( ACM ) extensively. They used ACM chiefly to fireproof, insulate, soundproof, and decorate. The Environmental Protection Agency ( EPA ) estimates that there are asbestos incorporating stuffs in most of the state # 8217 ; s about 107,000 primary and secondary schools and 733,000 public and commercial edifices ( Asbestos in Buildings 2 -5 ) . These minerals are hydrated silicates of Mg with variable sums of metals. Three assortments have commercial importance: chrysotile ( white ) , amosite ( brown ) and crocidolite ( bluish ) . As a group, these minerals have good thermal and electrical insulating belongingss, good tensile strength, low chemical activity and do non fire. As a consequence, they were used in over 4000 merchandises. Chrysotile asbestos is mined in Canada and has been the most normally used. The usage of crocidolite asbestos has been banned since 1978. We have learned to depend on these mineral fibres. Fire does non fire them. Alkalis do non eat them. Water does non destruct them. Vermin do non assail them. They do non disintegrate, decompose, or corrode. Surely asbestos is a charming mineral ( Strack 54 ) . Serpentine stone frequently contains chrysotile asbestos, particularly near mistake zones. Serpentine stone is abundant in the Sierra foothills, the Klamath Mountains, and Coast Ranges. Serpentin e stone is typically grey-green to bluish-black in colour and may hold a glistening visual aspect. Asbestos is non found in all snaky stone or mistake zones, but when it does occur, it is typically present in sums runing from less than 1 % up to about 25 % , and sometimes more. Asbestos is released from snaky stone when it is broken or crushed. This can go on when autos drive over unpaved roads or private roads which are surfaced with snaky stone, when land is graded for edifice intents, or at quarrying operations. It is besides released of course through weathering and eroding. Once released from the stone, asbestos can go airborne and may remain in the air for long periods of clip ( Oespert 98 ) . Asbestos has been used in 100s of merchandises. Jointly, these are often referred to as asbestos-containing stuff. Asbestos gained widespread usage because it is plentiful, readily available, and low in cost. Because of its alone belongingss: fire resistant, high tensile strength, haples s heat and electric conduction, and by and large imperviable to chemical onslaughts, asbestos proved well-suited for many utilizations in the building trades ( Pierce ) . One of the most common utilizations for asbestos is as fireproofing stuff. It was sprayed on steel beams, columns, and adorning that were used in building of multistory edifices. This application prevented these structural members from falsifying or fall ining in the event of a fire. Asbestos is besides added to a assortment of edifice stuffs to heighten strength. It is found in concrete and concrete-like merchandises. Asbestos-containing cement merchandises by and large contain Portland cement, sum, and asbestos fibres. The asbestos content may change up to 50 per centum by weight depending on the usage of the merchandise. Asbestos cement merchandises are used as turnout and roofing herpes zosters ; as drywall ; as corrugated and level sheets for roofing, facing, and dividers ; and as pipes. Asbestos has besides b een added to asphalt, vinyl, and other stuffs to do merchandises like roofing felts, exterior turnout, floor tiles, joint compounds, and adhesives ( Med. University of SC. ) . Fibers in asbestos cement, asphalt, and vinyl are normally steadfastly bound in the cement and will be released merely if the stuff is automatically damaged, for illustration by boring, cutting, or sanding. Roofing herpes zosters and turnout may besides demo slow impairment due to enduring. As an dielectric, asbestos received widespread usage for thermic insularity and condensation control. It was normally spray applied, trowel applied, or mill installed on or within equipment. Asbestos is besides a common constituent of brake liners and clasp faces. Asbestos proved valuable as a constituent of acoustical plaster. The stuff was applied by trowel or by spraying on ceilings and sometimes walls. It varies in colour from white to grey # 8211 ; seldom was it painted as a noticeable loss of acoustical value occurs. Similarly as a cosmetic merchandise, asbestos was assorted with other stuffs and sprayed on ceilings and walls to bring forth a soft, textured visual aspect ( Medical University of South Carolina ) . Although asbestos fabric merchandises rand below asbestos cement, frictional stuffs, and shocking composings in money value, they represent the chief feature from this alone inorganic hempen stuff, the lone one of its sort occurring in nature in measures sufficient for commercial intents. The United States is the largest such provider and produces about 40 million dollars yearly ( Oesper 101 ) . Asbestos has been used in the United States since the early 1900 # 8217 ; s, nevertheless, asbestos is no longer allowed as a component in most place merchandises and stuffs. Many older edifices, schools, and places still have asbestos incorporating merchandises. Therefore, Torahs are in topographic point to protect citizens when these edifices are renovated or demolished ( Peters 45 ) . All t ypes of asbestos are risky and may do lung disease and malignant neoplastic disease. Health hazards to people are dependent upon their exposure to asbestos. The longer a individual is exposed to asbestos and the greater the strength of the exposure, the greater the opportunities for a wellness job. Asbestos-related disease, such as lung malignant neoplastic disease, may non happen for decennaries after take a breathing asbestos fibres. Cigarette smoke increases the hazard of lung malignant neoplastic disease from asbestos exposure ( Peters 126 ) . Asbestos-containing stuff is unsafe if the asbestos fibres can be released. Once they are drifting freely in the air, asbestos fibres can be inhaled and do disease. Some ACM can easy be crumbled by manus force per unit area. This soft or loosely-bound stuff is called # 8220 ; crumbly # 8221 ; asbestos. Crumbly ACM is the greatest wellness concern because it can easy let go of story Ers in topographic point Begin to deteriorate, the likeliness of fibre release is even greater. Examples of crumbly asbestos-containing stuffs are fireproofing on structural beams, sprayed-on asbestos ceiling insularity and trowelled-on acoustical insularity. Difficult asbestos-containing stuff, such as vinyl floor tile, in which asbestos fibres are steadfastly bound or encased, does non by and large create exposure jobs. However, even non-friable ACM can let go of fibres and show a jeopardy if it is sanded, cut, land or disturbed in some other manner. Therefore, any stuff that contains asbestos has the potency to let go of fibres and become risky ( Peter 52 ) . The Environmental Protection Agency ( EPA ) and others distinguish between crumbly and non-friable signifiers of ACM. Crumbly ACM contains more than 1 % asbestos. Other things being equal, crumbly ACM is thought to let go of fibres into the air more readily ; nevertheless, many types of non-friable ACM can besides let go of fibres if disturbed. While it is frequently possible to surmise that a stuff or merchandise contains asbestos by ocular finding, existent finding can merely be made by instrumental analysis. The EPA requires that the asbestos content of fishy stuffs be determin ed by roll uping majority samples and analysing them by polarized visible radiation microscopy ( PLM ) . The PLM technique determines both the per centum and type of asbestos in the majority stuff ( Asbestos in Buildings 1-5 ) . As reported in a study recorded my the National Survey of Asbestos-Containing Friable Materials, rental residential edifices have the highest incidence of sprayed or troweeled-on asbestos incorporating crumbly stuff ( 2-6 ) . After reexamining a study on asbestos in a local Procter and Gamble installation, the safeguards taken are really apparent. The most common manner for asbestos to come in the organic structure is though take a breathing. Once inhaled, the asbestos fibres do non of all time flight and it is thought that even little sums can finally bring forth lung malignant neoplastic disease or mesothelioma, a lung-lining malignant neoplastic disease. Another asbestos disease, asbestosis, requires much larger sums of asbestos in the lungs than could be produced in a abode or a workplace that is non involved in the asbestos concern. Asbestos malignant neoplastic diseases have a long latency period, 20-30 old ages, so that immature people have a greater opportunity to be affected in their life-time than older people ( Pierce ) . Larger fibres normally get trapped in the nose hairs or in the mucose along the external respiration passageways. However, some asbestos fibres are so little that they can short-circuit these organic structure defence mechanism and acquire deep into the lungs. Asbestos can besides come in the digestive piece of land when you eat or smoke in a contaminated country. Asbestos does non go through through the tegument. Asbestosis was the first clearly demonstrated inauspicious consequence of asbestos in adult male. It is a nonmalignant fibrotic lung disease caused by inspiration of asbestos fibres. These fibres in the respiratory system cut down the ability of the lungs to pull out sufficient O from the air. It is associated with exposures to high concentrations of asbestos fibres ( Pierce ) . Bronchogenic carcinoma is a malignant tumour which normally occurs in the lower lobes of the lungs. While asbestos exposure consequences in a little but important hazard of lung malignant neoplastic disease, coffin nail smoke in concurrence with asbestos exposure leads to a entire malignant neoplastic disease hazard which is many times greater than that from either asbestos exposure or smoking entirely. Mesothelioma is a rare malignant neoplastic disease of the liners of the thorax and abdominal pits. Exposures of merely a few hebdomads continuance to asbestos fibres have resulted in this disease. A alone characteristic of the disease is the long period, by and large 20-30 old ages, between first exposure to asbestos and the visual aspect of a tumour. Asbestos is progressively suspected to hold a function in the development of malignant neoplastic diseases of the voice box and throat ( Pierce ) . Onc e asbestos is determined to be present in a stuff, several options of covering with the stuff are possible. The first option would be to go forth the stuff as is and untasted. This is frequently the option of pick for non-friable stuffs, stuffs which are in nonpublic countries and hence merely impact a few workers trained in asbestos jeopardies, and stuffs which are isolated from human contact. A 2nd option is encapsulation, which means to envelop the stuff without taking it. The enclosure can dwell of a constructed barrier, for case, of finished wallboard over a surface coating, or of painted canvas over pipe insularity. Alternatively, the encapsulation can be a sprayed polymer of two types: penetrating encapsulant, which soaks into the stuff it is sprayed on, and bridging encapsulant, which merely seals the surface, like pigment. Even though the release of fibre is minimized or eliminated with encapsulation, the asbestos is still present, and the potency for fibre release ever exi sts. The 3rd option is removal, in which the asbestos-containing stuff is scraped off, chopped off or otherwise gotten rid and taken out of the edifice. Preparation of the edifice so as to forestall taint of the premises is extended and disposal of the stuff is expensive, so removal is the least economical of the three options. It has the advantage that the asbestos is for the most portion gone, except those parts of the edifice that are unaccessible ( Asbestos in Buildings 3-1 ) . The lone manner to cognize if a merchandise contains asbestos is to direct a piece of the fishy stuff to a qualified research lab, called a majority sample. Merely certain sorts of microscopes can be used to analyse the sample: a polarising light microscope or an negatron microscope ( Pierce ) . The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ( EPA ) has established a really wide prohibition on the industry, processing, importing, and distribution of stuffs or merchandises that contain asbestos. These ordinances were initiated in 1990, and was put in full force in 1997. This prohibition will ensue in riddance of asbestos in insularity, brakes, floor and ceiling tiles, cement, paper, and about all other asbestos-containing stuffs. Second, EPA has established ordinances that require school systems to look into whether asbestos exposure is a job inside their school edifices, and if so, to cut down or extinguish the exposure, either by taking the asbestos or by covering it up so it can non acquire into air. In add-on, EPA provides counsel and support for cut downing asbestos exposure in other public edifices. Third, EPA regulates the release of asbestos from mills and during constructing destruction or redevelopment to forestall asbestos from acquiring into the environment. EPA besides regulates the disposal of waste asbestos stuffs or merchandises, necessitating these to be placed merely in sanctioned locations. Fourth, EPA has proposed a bound of 7 million fibres per litre on the concentrati on of long fibres that may be present in imbibing H2O ( Asbestos in Buildings 5-4 ) . BibliographyAsbestos in Buildings: A National Survey. Washington, D.C. : Exposure Evaluation Division, Office of Toxic Substances, Office of Pesticides and Toxic Substances, US Environmental Protection Agency, 1984.Medical University of South Carolina. Asbestos Background Information. [ hypertext transfer protocol: //www.musc.edu/DEHS/AsbestosInfo.htm ] . Oesper, Ralph. Asbestos Fundamental. New York: Chemical Publishing Company, Inc. , 1963Peter, George. Asbestos Review and Update. New York: Garland Law Publishing, 1987.Pierce, Larry. Information about Asbestos. [ hypertext transfer protocol: //www.fiberq.com/Info/Asbestos.html ] ; 1989. Procter and Gamble Asbestos Control Program Manual. 1988.Strack, Lilian. Asbestos, A Magic Mineral. London: Harpists and Brothers, 1941.