What is asbestos?

 
What is asbestos? 

Asbestos is the term used for a naturally occurring mineral that resembles a rock in its natural form. The rock is then split into fibers, which are resistant to heat, fire, and chemicals. These natural properties made it a popular commercial product used indiscriminately in the United States until the late 1970s. The fibers once woven into fine thread can become brittle and can then float in the air, where they can be inhaled, land on and stick to clothing, and found on exposed surfaces of a person's body who has been exposed to these fibers. 

Asbestos fibers are divided into two distinct groups: amphibole and serpentine. Amphibole, which has long needlelike threads, is more brittle than serpentine and is more limited in its ability to be fabricated. Both of these groups are associated with mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, and other malignancies. 

Recently other types of minerals have been found to be associated with asbestos, including tremolite, taconite and erionite. Vermiculite from the region of Libby, MT was contaminated with tremolite. Unfortunately, vermiculite from Libby has been used in insulation as well as soil for potting plants. Taconite, a mineral that is mined mostly in Minnesota, has also been associated with the development of mesothelioma. It is not known if taconite itself causes mesothelioma or if this association is because soil near taconite mines is frequently contaminated with asbestos. The concern has been the rising incidence of mesothelioma among taconite miners. Erinoite, another mineral found to cause mesothelioma in villages in Turkey, has been found in select locations in the United States, but so far no cases of mesothelioma in the United States have been directly traced to this mineral.  

Source: http://amzn.to/1caYVj7