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Asbestos (/ æ s ˈ b ɛ s t ə s, æ z-,-t ɒ s / ass-BES-təs, az-, -toss) [1] is a group of naturally occurring, toxic, carcinogenic and fibrous silicate minerals.There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous crystals, each fibre (particulate with length substantially greater than width) [2] being composed of many microscopic "fibrils" that can be released into ...
Nearly 40,000 of these structures were built between 1946 and 1949 to house families. Asbestos cement, genericized as fibro, fibrolite (short for "fibrous (or fibre) cement sheet"; but different from the natural mineral fibrolite), or AC sheet, is a composite building material consisting of cement and asbestos fibres pressed into thin rigid ...
Asbestos was used widely as a fire-proof or fire-suppressing agent, in scientific, industrial and domestic appliances, clothing, and tools. Asbestos can also be found mixed with cements and resins and woven into fabrics. Asbestos-containing mineral samples may be present in natural history collections.
Asbestos poses hazards to maintenance personnel who have to drill holes in walls for installation of cables or pipes. Even if the workers are protected, such maintenance operation may release fibers into the air, which may be inhaled by others. Interventions in areas where asbestos is present often have to follow stringent procedures.
Asbestos shingles are roof or wall shingles made with asbestos cement board. They often resemble slate shingles and were mass-produced during the 20th century as these were more resilient to weathering than traditional slate shingles for the reason that slate is very soft and prone to weathering.
In time it became a generic term for other companies' similar asbestos-cement products, and later an even more generic term for a hard, fireproof composite material, fibre cement boards, typically used in wall construction. It can also be found in insulation, siding, roof gutters, and cement wallboard. The more prevalent transite found in wall ...
The ban of chrysotile asbestos, the only form of asbestos currently used in or imported to the United States, comes after the EPA under the previous Trump administration delayed banning the substance.
The most common asbestiform mineral is chrysotile, commonly called "white asbestos", a magnesium phyllosilicate part of the serpentine group. Other asbestiform minerals include riebeckite, an amphibole whose fibrous form is known as crocidolite or "blue asbestos", and brown asbestos, a cummingtonite-grunerite solid solution series.