About Asbestos

Asbestos was a popular material used widely in construction and many other industries. If asbestos fibers are enclosed or tightly bound in a product, for example in asbestos siding or asbestos floor tiles, there are no significant health risks. Asbestos poses health risks only when fibers are present in the air that people breathe.

Asbestos

A generic name for a variety of fibrous minerals found naturally in rock formations around the world. Because asbestos fibers are strong, durable and non-combustible, they were widely used by industry, mainly in construction and friction materials. Commercial asbestos fibers belong in two broad mineralogical groups: serpentine (chrysotile) and amphibole (tremolite, actinolyte and others).

Amphibole

asbestos often contains more iron and resists acid and extremely high temperatures. Because of this, it has been heavily used in industrial furnaces and heating systems. However when inhaled, amphibole fibers stay much longer in the lungs than chrysotile fibers and they are more likely to inflict damage and cause disease, including cancer. Accordingly, amphibole asbestos has been drastically controlled and largely replaced.

Chrysotile

The only serpentine asbestos that is found in almost all asbestos-based products available today and is the main form of asbestos still mined. Chrysotile is different from the amphiboles both structurally and chemically. It is generally accepted that chrysotile asbestos is less potent and does less damage to the lungs than the amphiboles.

How much asbestos is in a product does not indicate its health risk. If the asbestos fibers are enclosed or tightly bound in a compound, there is no significant health risk. One of the main problems with asbestos came from sprayed or "friable" (easily broken up) amphibole asbestos used in buildings until the 1970s. People working in construction, maintenance or in the renovation of older buildings should be particularly careful when handling this asbestos. (Taken from Government of Canada website http://healthycanadians.gc.ca/environment-environnement/outdoor-air-exterieur/asbestos-amiante-eng.php)

Asbestos Can be found in building materials such as:
Asbestos Ceiling tiles
Asbestos Floor Tiles (9x9, 7x7)
Asbestos Drywall Plaster and Exterior Stucco
Asbestos Caulking - Asbestos Roofing
Asbestos Siding (Transite)
Asbestos Fireproofing
Asbestos Pipe Insulation (Chrysotile, Amphibole), and Vermiculite Insulation (Attics, and Wall Cavity’s)
Asbestos Fire Proofing - Asbestos Rainwater, Vent Stack, Waste Water Piping (Transite)
http://youtu.be/ospmeypsaME  (Mike Holmes warns about asbestos)