Asbestos is an umbrella term for a number of natural minerals composed of very fine fibres which are still mined in Russia, China and Brazil and other locations. Asbestos can be divided into 2 main groups, namely curly fibres (including chrysotile) and straight or amphibole fibres. You can only find out which type of asbestos you are dealing with by having it tested in a laboratory.
Uses
Asbestos has long been known for its beneficial properties as a strong, hard-wearing, insulating and cheap material. Because of this it was widely used in, for example, buildings and ships, primarily after 1950. A distinction has to be made between bonded and non-bonded uses of asbestos.
Bonded asbestos is asbestos which is bound in another material, meaning that the fibres cannot be easily released. Examples of common bonded asbestos uses include the following:
- Corrugated roofs and other asbestos cement applications, such as roof boarding, pipes and ventilation ducts and underground gas, sewer and water pipes.
- Gasket material in industrial installations, stoves and vehicles.
- Glazing sealants.
- Windowsills ('imitation marble').
- Bitumen, for example as a coating around pipes.
- Stucco work.
- Roof slates.
- Colovinyl tiles.
Non-bonded asbestos means asbestos which is not attached to any other material or product. The asbestos fibres are more easily released into the air when disturbed. The following are examples of common non-bonded asbestos uses:
- Insulation material, on pipes, ceilings and walls (including sprayed asbestos).
- Asbestos rope, used as insulation in, for example, oven doors.
- Boards used to create a fire-resistant barrier, such as ceiling boards and amosite board on doors.
- Vinyl flooring underlay.
- Tile adhesive.
Dangers and risks
Asbestos materials and applications are dangerous if they become weathered or damaged and if they are processed in some way, for example by sawing, sanding, drilling and/or breaking. This will result in numerous, invisibly small asbestos fibres being released. In the case of non-bonded materials, asbestos fibres can be released into the air even without any damage or processing taking place. It is dangerous to inhale asbestos fibres because they can penetrate deep into the lungs and cause potentially serious health consequences such as:
- Pleural or peritoneal cancer (mesothelioma)
- Lung cancer
- Asbestosis, which is a form of pulmonary fibrosis
The damage to asbestos causes to someone's health, especially in the form of malignant pleural mesothelioma and lung cancer, often only comes to light after very many years have passed. Although symptoms sometimes emerge 10 years after someone has worked with asbestos, it generally takes 30-40 years, when the victim has usually already retired. Between 900 and 1,300 people die in the Netherlands every year as a result of having worked with asbestos in the (distant) past.
The short film entitled Joost (Dutch) illustrates the health risks of asbestos fibres in a visual and poignant way.