ASBESTOS INSPECTIONS AUSTRALIA

 
What is Asbestos
 
 
  Asbestos is the collective term given to a group of naturally occurring fibrous varieties of silicate minerals. Asbestos occurs within two groups of minerals: the serpentine minerals and the amphibole minerals. Although there are about a dozen asbestos minerals, only three were in widespread use in Australia. These were:
  • Chrysotile, or white asbestos. This has soft, white
    curly fibres and was the type in most common use;
     
  • Amosite, or brown asbestos. This has straight, harsh
    grey to brown fibres and was often used in applications where
    additional strength was required such as in the manufacture
    of asbestos-cement pressure pipes; and
     
  • Crocidolite, or blue asbestos. This has straight blue fibres
    that tend to be very fine. Blue asbestos was commonly
    used in applications in which acid resistance was required.
   
  Asbestos Properties      
  Asbestos was used for its thermal stability and resistance, chemical resistance, high tensile strength, abrasion resistance, low electrical and thermal conductivity, low biodegradability and good sound absorption qualities.

The presence of asbestos in commercial products varies depending upon the product's uses. While all forms of asbestos are fibrous silicates, they differ in their chemical composition and properties, crystalline structure and fibre dimensions and as such their commercially useful properties also vary.
 
All asbestos types are excellent thermal insulators and have been widely used as fire proofing (on steel structural beams and soffits) and insulation materials (on boilers, ovens, kilns, steam pipes and hot water pipes). The amphibole group has considerable resistance to chemical corrosion and have been used in environments which are prone to attack by acids. Both chrysotile and crocidolite have high tensile strength, and have been widely used in the manufacture of woven asbestos products. All the asbestos types show low electrical and thermal conductivity, low biodegradability and good sound absorption properties.

 

 
  Health Risks      
 

Inhalation of asbestos fibre may lead to the following asbestos related diseases:

Mesothelioma: cancer of the pleura (lining of the lung cavity) or peritoneum (lining of the abdominal cavity).

Asbestosis: scarring of the lung tissue.

Lung Cancer: a cancer similar to that associated with tobacco smoking.

Other cancers that have been identified in heavily exposed asbestos workers include cancer of the larynx, oesophagus, stomach, bowel, rectum and kidneys .

Asbestos related diseases do not appear for a long time following exposure to asbestos. The term "latency period" is used to describe the period of time which passes between being exposed to airborne asbestos fibre and the disease being diagnosed. Depending upon the asbestos type and magnitude of exposure, the latency period generally ranges from between 10 and 40 years.

 

 
       

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